Introduction
Realities of Managing
Organizations can be made up of anything from small two- or three-person operations to very large corporations having several divisions broken up into departments with thousands of employees managed by several layers of management, all sharing similar characteristics. These characteristics can include processes performed for a specific objective, operating and overhead expenses, schedules, capital equipment management, and human resource management. These are just a few characteristics that are typical in an organization, but they represent areas that will need to be managed and will likely see problems at some point.
When organizations are first established, the founders and executive staff will largely be responsible for establishing policies and procedures that set the stage for how the organization will be run and the direction it will go. Managers will then be hired to oversee procedures being completed and policies being followed within the organization.
This is much like a captain steering a ship. The captain will understand a course that was laid out and will have the skills, tools, and experience to maneuver the vessel to reach its destination. If the manager is seen as the captain over the department or division, the manager must understand the course, which would be the processes that are carried out to accomplish a desired goal, and then the manager must have the knowledge, skills, and tools to effectively steer the department toward the desired objective. This not only requires the department to be pointed in the right direction, but also requires the manager to know how to make adjustments to steer the department and keep it on track.
The question is, Does the manager have the knowledge and tools needed to make necessary adjustments to keep the department on its course?
Project Management Tools for Operations Management
Much like operations managers, project managers have several areas to monitor and control in steering a project in the right direction. Projects have several of the same characteristics as a department within a functional organization. They have work packages or tasks that are performed one time and that must be completed to accomplish the project objective. Departments have work packages called processes that they perform on an ongoing basis, such as human resource management or resource and material scheduling, and that must be completed to accomplish the objective that the department was designed for. Project managers are typically under pressure to create a well-organized, highly efficient, streamlined flow of processes that will define a particular project. Managers will also have processes being carried out within a department designed to produce a desired output. It is this connection between how project managers approach managing these processes and how operation managers approach them that reveals project management tools that can be used in operations management.
Project managers, in most cases, approach a project looking at every aspect of work that needs to be done, as well as all of the resources required to accomplish the objective. This is an eyes-wide-open approach, looking at every aspect of the project as seen for the first time. Because operations managers see their processes every day, they can overlook areas that appear normal but in reality are causing problems. Managers who step back to view their department as if seeing it for the first time might discover some obvious improvements that can be made. This book will give managers tools and perspectives that can be used to unveil hidden problems and areas that can be improved that may not be readily visible to the manager.
In some cases, just looking at things with a different perspective can in itself be a powerful tool. This can reveal areas over which the manager does not have much control and which therefore warrant investigation into setting up monitoring systems to gather information about how much and what types of controls might need to be implemented. This is why project managers will see things that operations managers might miss, simply because they are not used to looking for them. This book is designed to have the operations manager view the department as seen from a project manager’s perspective and show where project management tools and techniques can be used to improve areas within the operation.
Is This for Me?
At this point the manager might be asking, “Is this really for me?” and “Is it necessary?” and “Will it make a difference?” The answer is a question: If the managers are truly the ones making adjustments to stay on course within their department, do they have the skills, knowledge, and tools to make effective adjustments in controlling resource management, budget control, process improvement, communication, training, risk management, and departmental organization? These are just some of the areas that will be covered in this book where project management tools and techniques have proven over and over to be very effective in operations management.
These tools and techniques do not require high levels of education, years of experience, or mathematical expertise—just that they are understood, implemented, and refined, given the manager’s level of responsibility. For those who have been in management for several years, some of these techniques might seem familiar, but viewing them from a different perspective allows the tool to be sharpened and used in a better way. There might be some ideas that will generate some intrigue into how they can be used, or new items that might prove to be surprisingly effective.
Some managers might have been promoted to their position coming up through the ranks, and might be struggling with certain areas of how to manage or might not be familiar with areas of operation and could use more efficient tools to better control areas within the department. This can also be an opportunity to view the department from a different perspective and implement tools and techniques that can be very effective in changing how the department is monitored and controlled.
New managers or students of management can start their careers with a very cutting-edge and tactical approach in their management style that will prove to make them much more successful in not only managing but controlling a department. This perspective allows the manager to see other areas of the department more from a process standpoint and implement tools and techniques to effectively manage areas that other managers might be struggling with.
Senior and executive-level management can use these tools and techniques in training middle and lower-level management to improve their knowledge and skills in managing their responsibilities. It is frustrating to watch managers who report to you struggle in their approach to manage and control their department. The tools shown in this book will help managers see their department from a different perspective, allowing them to design monitoring systems and use control techniques to make adjustments that will streamline the operation. Improvements in overhead, processes, resource allocation, risk mitigation and elimination, communication, and waste management are some of the typical improvements that can be made using these tools.
Managers at all levels want to be successful and want to know that they are doing everything they can to manage all aspects within their responsibility. Having these tools and techniques in the manager’s toolbox sets the manager apart as one who not only reports the outcome of what their department is doing, but can actually control and manage by making calculated adjustments that keep the department streamlined, cost-effective, and on course in completing its objective.