engineering-management

Systems Engineering, Process and Engineering Specialty Task

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:57:29 +0100

Systems Engineering, Process and Specialty Task

Summary of Operations Management

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:43:31 +0100

Operations Management - Critical Business Areas

Project Management 2 of 2 - PRINCE2 & PMO

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:51:48 +0100

What is Prince 2?

By John J Nash

PRINCE 2 is actually a world wide used project management methodology. PRINCE is an abbreviation used for Projects in Controlled Environments. The reason for the number two is actually the fact that this had its origin from PROMPT II methodology in 1975, which was replaced by PRINCE2 in 1989. It was because of its re-launch in 1996 in United Kingdom, which has made the number 2 to stick with it. This was launched for all existing UK government projects.

PRINCE 2 is a methodology, which is popular in terms of usage for both private and public sectors and has actually become a standard for project management.

The basic reason for the introduction of launching PRINCE 2 was the failure related to the projects in public sectors. Time delivery and mismanagement of projects have been draining down the sectors, hence requiring the launch of this methodology. Budget and time are two important factors when it comes to project management and these two categories are entertained with the help of the PRINCE2 structure.

The project is actually divided into three parts, the initiation, middle and closure. The focus is on the delivery of projects like some other methodologies, which focus on the execution of activities. In order to check the viability of the project at all times, PRINCE 2 requires a business case and plan to be frequently analysed.

This method offers a finite and well-defined life cycle, clearly defined and measurable business products, a corresponding set of activities to achieve the business products, definable resources and specific responsibilities to manage projects of organisation structure. The project board consists of the customers, user representatives, and suppliers. The manager is answerable to the board and provides it with updates of problems, progress reports, etc. The board in return decides how the project should further be carried.

The key feature of PRINCE 2 includes, a product based planning approach, division of projects into manageable and controllable stages, flexibility to be applied at a level appropriate to the project, a defined organisational structure for the team, and clear focus on business justification.

There is no doubt about the fact that PRINCE 2 brings out many benefits when used by professional sectors. Project administration can either break or make a company, hence proper executions of projects of any industry or service sector is extremely crucial. The benefits flow towards the companies once the projects can be delivered up to date and up to other requirements. PRINCE 2 revolves around doing the right project at the right time and for adequate purposes.

It ensures better control and usage of company's resources, providing with means of encounter and managing different risks and issues, frequent reports about project plan and business case and assurance of project continuity. Furthermore, this method helps to identify any problems that are likely to occur in the future, guarantees improved communication system between the team and its valuable stakeholders. It helps to capture lessons that are learned during the process. PRINCE 2 because of its attributes has been accepted as a popular method in countries like UK, USA, Germany, Africa, Australia etc.

John Nash is a project management consultant and has written many books on this subject, to know more about prince 2 software please visit his recommended websites

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-Prince-2

Prince2 Project Management Explained!

By Andrew Cheah

PRINCE2 project management methodology is a process-driven project management method which contrasts with reactive/adaptive methods developed by Office of Government Commerce (OGC). PRINCE2 defines 45 separate sub-processes and organizes these into eight processes as follows:

Starting up a project (SU)

In this process the project team is appointed and a project brief (describing what the project is going to achieve and the business justification for doing so) is prepared. In addition the overall approach to be taken is decided and the next stage of the project is planned. Once this work is done, the project board is asked to authorize the next stage, that of initiating the project.

Planning (PL)

PRINCE2 project management method advocates product based planning which means that the first task when planning is to identify and analyze products. Once the activities required to create these products are identified then it is possible to estimate the effort required for each and then schedule activities into a plan. There is always risk associated with any work and this must be analyzed. Finally, this process suggests how the format of plans can be agreed and ensures that plans are completed to such a format.

Initiating a project (IP)

This process builds on the work of the Start Up (SU) activity and the project brief is then form into a Business Case. The approach taken to ensure quality on the project is agreed together with the overall approach to controlling the project itself. Project files are also created as is an overall plan for the project. A plan for the next stage of the project is also created. The result can be put before the project board for them to authorize the project itself.

Directing a project (DP)

These sub-processes dictate how the Project Board should control the overall project. As mentioned above, the project board can authorize an initiation stage and can also authorize a project. Directing a Project also dictates how the project board should authorize a stage plan, including any stage plan that replaces an existing stage plan due to slippage or other unforeseen circumstances. Also covered is the way in which the board can give ad hoc direction to a project and the way in which a project should be closed down.

Controlling a stage (CS)

PRINCE2 project management method suggests that projects should be broken down into stages and these sub-processes dictate how each individual stage should be controlled. Most fundamentally this includes the way in which work packages are authorized and received. It also specifies the way in which progress should be monitored and how the highlights of the progress should be reported to the project board. A means for capturing and assessing project issues is suggested together with the way in which corrective action should be taken. It also lays down the method by which certain project issues should be escalated to the project board.

Managing product delivery (MP)

This process consists of three sub-processes and these cover the way in which a work package should be accepted, executed and delivered.

Managing stage boundaries (SB)

The Controlling a Stage process dictates what should be done within a stage, Managing Stage Boundaries (SB) dictates what should be done towards the end of a stage. Most obviously, the next stage should be planned and the overall project plan, risk log and business case amended as necessary. The process also covers what should be done for a stage that has gone outside its tolerance levels. Finally, the process dictates how the end of the stage should be reported.

Closing a project (CP)

This covers the things that should be done at the end of a project. The project should be formally de-commissioned (and resources freed up for allocation to other activities), follow on actions should be identified and the project itself be formally evaluated.

Find out more about Prince 2 Project Management Training - Myth & Misconceptions here.

For More Project Management Resources or Download Prince2 templates, visit Online-Project-Management-Training.com

Andrew Cheah
Lean Management Consultant
Andrew is a consultant and he is working with projects day in day out and here is some of his articles on PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
http://www.online-project-management-training.com

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Prince2-Project-Management-Explained

Project management office (PMO)

The Project Management Office (PMO) in a business or professional enterprise is the department or group that defines and maintains the standards of process, generally related to project management, within the organization. The PMO strives to standardize and introduce economies of repetition in the execution of projects. The PMO is the source of documentation, guidance and metrics on the practice of project management and execution. In some organisations this is known as the Program Management Office (sometimes abbreviated to PgMO to differentiate); the subtle difference is that program management relates to governing the management of several related projects.

A good PMO will base project management principles on accepted, industry standard methodologies such as PMBOK or PRINCE2. Increasingly influential industry certification programs such as ISO9000 and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) as well as government regulatory requirements such as Sarbanes-Oxley have propelled organizations to standardize processes. Organizations around the globe are defining, borrowing and collecting best practices in process and project management and are increasingly assigning the PMO to exert overall influence and evolution of thought to continual organizational improvement.

90% of projects do not meet time/cost/quality targets. Only 9% of large, 16% of medium and 28% of small company projects were completed on time, within budget and delivered measurable business and stakeholder benefits. [Standish Group Chaos Report, 1995] There are many reasons for such failures. As per a KPMG survey of 252 organizations, technology is not the most critical factor. Inadequate project management implementation constitutes 32% of project failures, lack of communication constitutes 20% and unfamiliarity with scope and complexity constitutes 17%. Accordingly 69% of project failures are due to lack and/or improper implementation of project management methodologies.

Establishing a PMO group is not a short term strategy to lower costs. Surveys with companies indicate that the longer they have an operating PMO group the better the results achieved to accomplish project goals (which might lead to lowering costs).

PMOs may take other functions beyond standards and methodology, and participate in Strategic Project Management either as faciliator or actively as owner of the Portfolio Management process. Tasks may include Monitoring and Reporting on active projects (following up project until completion), and reporting progress to top management for strategic decisions on what projects to continue or cancel.

A PMO can be one of three types from an organizational exposure perspective: enterprise PMO, organizational (departmental) PMO, or special–purpose PMO. The Project Management Institute (PMI) Program Management Office Significant Interest Working Group (PMOSIG), views the PMO as a strategic driver for organizational excellence and seeks to enhance the practices of execution management, organizational governance, and strategic change leadership. As the largest community devoted to the PMO, with over 4,000 members globally, the PMOSIG is the central forum to collaborate, expand the knowledge base, and mature the PMO practice within their own organizations and the business community at large.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Project Management 1 of 2

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:05:07 +0100

Project Management - The Basics -

Supply Chain and Logistics Management 2 of 2

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:43:38 +0100

Warehouse management system

A warehouse management system, or WMS, is a key part of the supply chain and primarily aims to control the movement and storage of materials within a warehouse and process the associated transactions, including shipping, receiving, putaway and picking. The systems also direct and optimize stock putaway based on real-time information about the status of bin utilization.

Warehouse management systems often utilize Auto ID Data Capture (AIDC) technology, such as barcode scanners, mobile computers, wireless LANs and potentially Radio-frequency identification (RFID) to efficiently monitor the flow of products. Once data has been collected, there is either a batch synchronization with, or a real-time wireless transmission to a central database. The database can then provide useful reports about the status of goods in the warehouse.

The objective of a warehouse management system is to provide a set of computerized procedures to handle the receipt of stock and returns into a warehouse facility, model and manage the logical representation of the physical storage facilities (e.g. racking etc), manage the stock within the facility and enable a seamless link to order processing and logistics management in order to pick, pack and ship product out of the facility.

Warehouse management systems can be stand alone systems, or modules of an ERP system or supply chain execution suite.

The primary purpose of a WMS is to control the movement and storage of materials within a warehouse – you might even describe it as the legs at the end-of-the line which automates the store, traffic and shipping management.

In its simplest form, the WMS can data track products during the production process and act as an interpreter and message buffer between existing ERP and WMS systems. Warehouse Management is not just managing within the boundaries of a warehouse today, it is much wider and goes beyond the physical boundaries. Inventory management,inventory planning, cost management, IT applications & communication technology to be used are all related to warehouse management. The container storage, loading and unloading are also covered by warehouse management today.Warehouse management today is part of SCM and demand management. Even production management is to a great extent dependent on warehouse management. Efficient warehouse management gives a cutting edge to a retail chain distribution company. Warehouse management does not just start with receipt of material but it actually starts with actual initial planning when container design is made for a product. Warehouse design and process design within the warehouse (e.g. Wave Picking) is also part of warehouse management. Warehouse management is part of Logistics and SCM.

Warehouse Management monitors the progress of products through the warehouse. It involves the physical warehouse infrastructure, tracking systems, and communication between product stations.

Warehouse management deals with receipt, storage and movement of goods, normally finished goods, to intermediate storage locations or to final customer. In the multi-echelon model for distribution, there are levels of warehouses, starting with the Central Warehouse(s), regional warehouses services by the central warehouses and retail warehouses at the third level services by the regional warehouses and so on. The objective of warehousing management is to help in optimal cost of timely order fulfillment by managing the resources economically. Warehouse management = "Management of storage of products and services rendered on the products within the four wall of a warehouse"

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Warehouse Management System Benefits

By Ron James

The movement and storage of materials within the warehouse will be controlled by the warehouse management system. Automation of transactions that pertain to warehouse management systems lets users locate the stock, assess the quantity and also direct warehouse tasks.

Advanced technology used in warehouse management systems will enable the optimization of warehousing functions. Such functions may be defined as all of the inventory movements and the information that flows in-between. These systems are being used by businesses of every size, with the smaller to mid-size businesses being especially interested and recognizing the benefits of using warehouse management systems.

Integrating warehouse management systems in an organization will achieve better operating practice and will also allow inventory, equipment, labor and space to be used much more effectively. Upon implementing such an operating system, a business can improve flexibility, increase the accuracy of inventory, reduce labor costs and enhance its customer service.

Specifically, a warehouse management system will allow businesses to automate their inventory movement. Consequently, accuracy of inventory records improves and inventory turnover increases. More accuracy in stock control will also enable companies to use warehouse space more efficiently, thus enabling the reception, packing and shipping of their inventory to be undertaken more efficiently which in turn improves productivity and reduces the costs associated with inventory holding.

The potential to update information in the electronic inventory, given the integration with the warehouse management system, has resulted in a higher level of accuracy, reduced red-tape and the ability to alter inventory information in a simplified manner. The electronic data which is captured can also be used to monitor the working practices of a business, thus ensuring that stock will be replenished where necessary and avoiding the need for physical inventories. Operating warehouses electronically leads to standardization of inventory movements and picking methods which results in low error rates, in comparison to manual data entry.

Warehouse management systems enable organizations to streamline business processes. This allows more accurate determination of the demand for and availability of inventory, in addition to the ability to deliver requested stock, thus ensuring improved customer service.

Ron James is knowledgeable in many areas of warehouse optimization procedures giving advice on areas such as warehouse management system implementation.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Warehouse-Management-System-Benefits&id=2065075

Fundamentals of Warehousing

By Edna Love

Warehousing is one of the most important logistical aspects that new businesses fail to take into account while formulating their business plans. Need for warehouse plays a major role in the budgetary considerations of any new venture, as it calls for creating infrastructure in the form of storage buildings, means of transportation, and associated maintenance costs and manpower. In fact, this work is different form core business aspects and requires certain level of expertise and knowledge. The following are certain basic fundamentals and facts pertaining to this warehousing concept.

1. Warehousing is important for companies and firms that deal in manufactured goods and products. Furthermore, this can also have significance for companies providing services with respect to various equipment. However, this is only relevant when the company or firm does not have its own facilities.

2. Storage and transportation services can be acquired from outside agencies that specialize in these kinds of services or already have extensively established infrastructure in terms of transport and storage. Usually, companies prefer to blend the two concepts of renting storage space and having their own. More specifically speaking, companies have their own warehousing facilities near their base of operations and hire storage space when it is needed at some remote locations.

3. Warehousing is especially important for companies that are involved in export and import businesses. Material imported can be stored in the storage facilities located near the ports. This is particularly beneficial because until the goods are taken out of the storage facility, no duties are required to be paid. Furthermore, in case the goods are exported from the same location, no duties are also required to be paid.

4. The majority of storage facilities can be around ports, airports, industrial townships, and industrial sectors of major cities. These are the prime locations for companies and storage facilities. The location is advantageous from the point of view that spurious transportation costs can be reduced through the storage facilities. These locations are also ideal for storage facility owners because of the easy availability of clients.

5. The cost of hiring these storage facilities for the warehousing purpose varies depending on the services that are needed. Storage facilities range from fully manual to semiautomatic and to even fully automated, where even the cranes and forklifts are controlled by computerized software. The level of material security increases with rise in the level of automation in the warehouse. It has a direct bearing on the rent of storage units. In addition to this, storing perishable items requires climate control, such as cold storage, and hence costs more.

6. The process of keeping track of materials stored in the storage facility is known as Warehouse Management System (WMS). WMS calls for specialized skill and requires expertise in handling logistic aspects and computer software. Furthermore, big industrial storage facilities are also equipped with loading and unloading docks for trucks and transport vehicles to carry goods from or into warehouses. Also, some of these types of storage facilities, depending upon their location, can also be equipped with railway loading and unloading docks wherein goods can be loaded and unloaded directly from cargo trains.

Warehousing is one of the most important logistical aspects that new businesses fail to take into account while formulating their business plans.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?id=3991722&Fundamentals-of-Warehousing=

Green Logistics

What is Logistics?

Logistics is defined as a business planning framework for the management of material, service, information and capital flows. It includes the increasingly complex information, communication and control systems required in today's business environment. -- (Business definition, Logistix Partners Oy, Helsinki, FI, 1996)

What is Logistics Management?

Part of Supply Chain Management that plans, implements and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customer’s requirements. (The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals formerly Council of Logistics Management)

What about Green Logistics?

• Also called Environmental Logistics

• Green logistics is a form of logistics which is calculated to be environmentally and often socially friendly in addition to economically functional.

• Studies show that up to 75% of carbon footprints come from transportation and logistics, the focus of supply chain greening is beginning to shift towards this area, where the opportunity to make the biggest difference exists.

Green Logistics Initiatives

Proper transportation and disposal of hazardous materials

Reverse Logistics - The process of planning, implementing and controlling the efficient, cost effective flow of raw materials, in-process inventory, finished goods and related information from the point of consumption to the point of origin for the purpose of recapturing value or proper disposal.

Life Cycle Analysis - involves viewing the purchased item from cradle to grave to determine its impact on the environment and on the total cost of doing business. Looking at it from an environmental perspective, this approach is useful because it examines the impact of the item on the environment at all stages of its life cycle, form product development up to and including ultimate disposal. Life cycle analysis should consider all available methods for waste reduction and management, including source reduction, recycling, substitution and disposal.

Legislation - Countries adopt an environmental and recycling legislation

- Ban on use of plastic foam, polyethylene, corrugated containers and similar materials from landfills and incinerators

- Minimize creation of waste through tax incentives and provision of public information and technical assistance

Green Manufacturing - Design, develop and produce product with the goal of reducing the waste created when the product reaches the end of its useful life such as minimizing the use of packaging materials. Also includes recycling, refurbishing or safely disposing of a product and its components.

Redesigning warehousing and distribution center networks to minimize movement or use of any transportation means.

Reducing hazardous emissions (CO2, etc) by switching to renewable energy sources.

Supply Chain and Logistics Management 1 of 2

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:41:18 +0100

Supply Chain and Logistics Management

Strategic Management - 6 of 6

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 09:20:34 +0100

Organizational Culture - What You Should Know About It

By Dr. Faiez Kirsten

Are you aware of the unfortunate fact that what science recommends is often not implemented by business?

Why do I say this? I will get to this further on.

But firstly I want to start off by describing to you two serious problems that exist in many companies and organizations across the world. And they are, firstly, the extremely high levels of stress and unhappiness that exists amongst the employees of these companies and organizations. And the second is the poor performance, not only of individual employees, but also of the companies themselves.

OK, let me explain what I mean by way of a story which involves J.E. a job-hopping employee. Over the past 2 years J.E has worked for 4 different companies. In the first 2 he experienced severe stress and unhappiness.

Now in the first company

• J.E.'s experience was that despite his superior performance his remuneration was far less than certain of his co-workers who performed less well than him. He worked hard and always produced his best but was paid less than certain under-performing workers.
• These co-workers he noticed were always doing favors for the top managers and bosses of the company.
• When he tried to air his view about the inequitable and unfair reward system that existed at the company he was told that if he did not like the situation he could leave.
• This gave him many sleepless nights.
• So he left and joined another company.

Although he found the second company a little less stressful the strict bureaucratic nature of the organization was very stifling to him.

• He discovered that this company did not really view him as a person but as an entity whose function was to perform a collection of roles.
• The fact that he had to virtually behave somewhat like an unimaginative robot in this company caused him great anxiety.
• And his stress was compounded by the fact that those who had more important roles and functions in the company held more power in it.
• His anxiety became severe. So he moved on.

Now his experience in the third company was much more to his liking because in this company workers had a high degree of flexibility and autonomy.

• And this company also placed a great emphasis on the completion of tasks or the achievement of goals and objectives.
• But what he liked most was the fact that the people worked in teams which were highly-driven energized and motivated to complete the tasks which were assigned to them.

Now when this last company that J.E found himself working at acquired another company he was moved to this acquired company.

• And he really like this company too, maybe even more - because this company viewed itself as being subordinate to, or dependent on, its people for its existence.
• In fact its people came first before everything else.
• It placed great emphasis on nurturing the personal growth and development of its people and on the sharing of information, decision-making and influence amongst its people.

What our friend J.E. has been experiencing and what caused him to feel stressed in the first two companies and then happy and satisfied with his job in the last two is something referred to as Corporate or Organizational Culture.

And what I have described to you in terms of the experiences of J.E is just a very broad overview of the different types of Corporate Culture that exists. In terms of the companies described they are as follows:

The first company had a Control, Power or Autocratic Culture The second a Role Culture The Third an Achievement or Task Culture and The Fourth a People or Support Culture

OK so what is Corporate or Organizational Culture exactly?

Well it is the shared beliefs, values and consequent feelings and behavior of the people of a company or organization and which they subconsciously assume to be correct and valid. It is in fact their shared attitudes. Similar to each person who has his or her own unique personality so an organization's or corporation's culture can be seen as its own unique personality.

Now in order to understand culture more clearly we must look at the components or dimensions of culture rather than a broad description of it. And the following are just 3 components of culture. There are of course many more.

1. Methods of resolving conflict - most organizations are beset with conflict of some kind or another. And in many instances this conflict is quite severe. However many companies have very ineffective conflict resolution methods in place - or worse none at all.

2. Employee inclusion or participation - this involves the inclusion of employees in decision-making processes which allows it to make better-quality decisions. It also prevents employees from feeling that decisions are foisted on them without respect for their feelings or points of view.

3. Management style - this includes trustworthiness or integrity of managers and their willingness and availability to listen to employees. It involves management support which consists not only of motivation and assistance, but also includes clear and frequent communication with the workers. Good managers ensure that appropriate and accurate information is provided and allowed to flow unhindered throughout the organization. They keep all employees updated and provide them at all times with all the relevant information they require. Unhappy workers are encouraged to inform and question management about their grievances.

Now why is organizational culture important?

Well, probably the most important reason is that it is a major factor which determines the success or failure of a company. Or, at least, it distinguishes mediocre performers from excellent performers.

And of course an important factor in the performance and success of a company is the health and wellness of its people. And organizational culture as we have seen has a significant impact on this factor.

Now let us get back to the problem of business not implementing the recommendations of scientists.

So why do I say this? Well despite the fact that scientific research has shown that those organizations which actively measure, manage and develop their cultures have healthier and less-stressed people - and of course perform much better - many organizations and companies around the world fail to do so in any meaningful way in keeping with these scientific findings. But worse, many do not even do this at all and actually completely ignore this all-encompassing aspect of their companies or organizations. Historically this has been the case more often than not but, fortunately in recent years, the issue of culture is being taken more and more seriously.

So if companies and organizations want to have healthier & less-stressed people who perform optimally, then they need to take heed of what science says about organizational culture - and implement its recommendations as a matter of priority.

My book on organizational culture provides more information about the experiences of J.E. and the cultures of the different companies he worked at. It also describes the various components of culture from the perspective of an extremely high-performing company and various other aspects of corporate culture such as its origins and functions, its relationship to financial performance and its management amongst others.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article

My website is at http://www.faiezkirsten.com

If you are interested in learning more about organizational culture including the impact it has on the well-being and performance of people, and the organizations and corporations themselves, then please follow the link below. It is a link to the page describing my book on organizational culture entitled NOT AS SOFT AS YOU THINK - What You Should Know About Organizational Culture

http://www.faiezkirsten.com/landing-page-not-as-soft-as-you-think.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Faiez_Kirsten

Leadership - Traits & Skills

By Khalid Nasr

Organizational Leadership is at a premium today and there is a clear recognition of the fact that in most situations the enthusiasm & motivation aroused in people by powerful & positive leadership is the most potent strategic weapon that provides sustained competitive advantage.

Today, management is defined as, "The process of getting things done though others"; whereas leadership is defined as "The process of getting things done willingly through others". The difference between the two definitions is one word but that word willingness and the degree of willingness aroused determine the effectiveness of the leader. Positive and powerful leader has an extraordinary ability to arouse such degrees of willingness & motivation in people that the impossible seems to become possible. The willingness aroused by a leader in organizational situations translates into achievement & excellence.

The Major Ingredients of Effective Leadership:

1.The ability to develop a climate that is conducive for motivation through personal example.
2.A leader's ability & confidence to inspire.
3.The ability to comprehend human behaviour and apply this knowledge to people & situation.

The various roles played by Effective Leaders of today are identified as follows:
1. Envisioner
2. Role Model
3. Motivator
4. Goal Setter
5. Initiator
6. Decision Maker
7. Informer
8. Conflict Resolver
9. Controller
10. Team Builder
11. Spokesman
12. Crises Manager

Major Characteristics of Effective Leaders: Intellectual Characteristics:
1. Originality
2. Far-sightedness
3. Receptiveness
4. Decisiveness
5. Sense of Timing
6. Intelligence

Personality Characteristics:
1. Personal Integrity
2. Self-confidence
3. Emotional Balance & Control
4. Adaptability
5. Assertiveness
6. Tough Mindedness
7. Resourcefulness
8. Tolerance of Stress
9. Perceptual Objectivity
10. High Need for Achievement

Task Related Characteristics:
1. Task Knowledge & Expertise
2. Administrative Ability
3. Responsibility Acceptance
4. Deadline & Schedule Orientation
5. Team Management Ability
6. Proactive Orientation
7. Ability to identify and Focus on Key Issues
8. Decision Making & problem Solving

Socially Related Characteristics:
1. Humanism & Empathy
2. Personal Impact / charm
3. Socio-cultural Sensitivity
4. Interpersonal and Social Networking
5. Social Participation & Friendliness
6. Tact & Diplomacy

Leadership Skills: A leader must have some basic skills to perform his duties effectively. A list of suggested leadership skills critical to success in the global economy includes the following:

1. Cultural Flexibility:Cultural awareness and sensitivity. He must recognize and celebrate the value of diversity in their organizations.
2. Communication Skills: Written, verbal, body language & listening skills.
3.HR Development Skills:Development of the human resources through training,career-counseling, job evaluation.
4. Creativity:Problem solving, innovation, setting goals and assisting subordinates to be creative.
5. Self -- Learning:Learning is a continuous process. A leader must learn new methods, skills and technology. He must be self-learner.
6. Time & Stress Management Skills.
7. Delegating Skills.
8. Motivation & Influence Skills.
9. Team Building Skills.
10. Conflict Management & Negotiation Skills.

Skills & Abilities For Effective Leadership:
o Social Objectivity: Ability to act free of racial, ethnic, gender or other biases.
o Inner work Standards: Ability to set & meet highly personal work goals.
o Self-Understanding: Ability to recognize one's strengths & weaknesses.
o Introspection: Ability to learn from experience & self-study.
o Vision: Ability to imagine a different & better situation and ways to achieve it.
o Entrepreneurism: Ability to spot & take advantage of opportunities.
o Empowerment: Ability to share influence & control with others.

Effective Leadership Traits:
o Intelligence & Analytical Ability
o Energy & Personal Drive
o Self- Confidence
o Dominance & Assertiveness
o Desire to Lead
o Honesty & Integrity
o Knowledge & Expertise
o Need for Achievement
o Creativity & Intuition

Various Types of Behaviors Displayed by Effective Leaders:
1. Consideration: It is the extent to which a leader is approachable and shows personal concern for subordinates.
2. Initiating Structure: The degree to which a leader concentrates on groups' goal attainment.
3. Reward Behaviour: The extent to which a leader provides his subordinates with compliments, tangible benefits and desired specific treatment.
4. Punishment Behaviour: The leader's use of reprimands or unfavourable tasks assignments and active with holding of rewards.

Khalid Nasr is a retired Major from Pakistan Army. He completed his MBA from IBA, Karachi University. Presently, head of Business Administration department in a University at Lahore. Khalid Nasr is member of Hamdard Thinker's Forum and Eilaaf Club in Lahore.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Khalid_Nasr

Strategic Management - 5 of 6

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 09:18:20 +0100

Knowing Your Core Competencies

By Raymund Marcus Dujunco

What are you really good at? And what are you not good at?

These are tough questions to ask, but they have to be asked nonetheless. After all, the more you are in touch with the truth about yourself and your company, then the greater the chances will be that you and your company will become truly successful.

At the heart of the matter is how you deal with your strengths and weaknesses. Learn to manage these properly and you will be on your way to creating effective business strategies.

Identifying your strengths

Your first task is to identify all the strong points of your company (or yourself, if you are assessing your personality). These include issues such as what people like about your company, what you are most proud of, as well as unique product offerings, distinct technologies, strategic sources of raw materials, effective distribution networks, and anything else that are worth noting. Make a list.

Go through your list of good points. Now comes the tough part.

For each of the items on your list, ask yourself, honestly, "Is this something that only my company has?" If the item is not distinct or unique to your company alone, then you will have to scratch it out.

If for instance you noted that you have a happy work force, but then you realize that everybody else in your industry also has a happy work force, then you will have to scratch that out.

If, on the other hand, you argue (and with all honesty) that you have the HAPPIEST work force in the industry, then that counts and you can rightfully retain this as a strong point.

Do this for every item on your list until you are left with items that are distinct and unique to your business. Congratulations! You have just extracted the list of your company's true strengths!

But what if you did the above exercise and ended up erasing everything on your list? Perhaps there are other areas that you have not seen.

Read more tips on starting a business at SMEToolkit Philippines

SME Solutions was established in June 2000 as a joint venture between Philippines' lead bank for SME's, Planters Development Bank (Plantersbank) and the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC). SME Solutions offers web-based business solutions such as Web Design and Development to help entrepreneurs manage their business better, expand to new markets and be globally competitive. Visit their website and online SME Community at http://www.sme.com.ph or email info@sme.com.ph.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raymund_Marcus_Dujunco

Identifying Your Core Competencies

By Mary McKay

If you want to begin to teach other people what you know, get the applause you want and get paid for teaching others what you know, you must first be able to identify and know your core competencies. From those, you can begin to craft your message, recall the anecdotal stories about your personal life that personalize your message, build your speech, and ultimately have people pay you for your presentation.

The most important first step to take in systematizing the booking process is to identify your core competencies. You don't have to have a life changing event that makes headlines and saves lives in order to begin to get the attention of an organization seeking speakers and trainers.

Everyone experiences turning points in their lives, makes choices and grows from those experiences. From those experiences, you develop your strengths and you may also realize the things you need to do to improve your skills and overcome hardships.

Do you know your core competencies? If you cannot identify your core competencies instantly and concisely, get busy. You and possibly a colleague or friend may want to work on this together since you may not remember all of your accomplishments.

When you or your representative calls on a prospective meeting planner who hires speakers, everything that you or she says about you should clearly reinforce your core competencies. In order to build your I AM, I DO statement which defines the value that you would have to any particular group or audience, examine your life and your successes.

A core competency for an individual is something that that individual can do well and meets the following three conditions:
1. It provides benefits to the individual and others
2. It is not easy for others to imitate
3. It can be leveraged widely for multiple endeavors

A core competency can be applied to one or more fields of expertise or achievement. including technical/subject matter know how, a reliable, duplicatable and transferable process, and/or close relationships with customers and suppliers. It may also include product development or culture, such as employee dedication.

Below is a list of core competencies that may trigger thoughts about your own life experience in a way that can serve others. After all, meeting planners hire experts, leaders and inspiring individuals who can serve others by teaching success principles and systems.

For example if you're a top producer in real estate who has exceeded customary sales averages, you're probably very disciplined, willing to follow established daily systems suggested by experts like Mike Ferry or David Knox, willing to invest in training for yourself, dedicated and committed to your goals, a visionary with clear goals and principles for building business and able to communicate in a way to which others relate in a positive manner. Those are your core competencies.

Examine your successes. Here are some examples of core competencies that may trigger yours and resonate with ideals that match your own.

Handling difficult people
Life insurance sales
Residential real estate sales
Financial literacy for young adults
Traffic conversion for on-line sales
Weddings on a dime
Humor in the workplace
Real estate management
Foreclosures
Tax lien certificates
Baby boomer trends
Cost-cutting measures in hard times
Employee health benefits
Debt reduction
Event planning
Reducing work place accidents
How to find an agent to publish your first book
Hybrid leadership for the 21st century
Male/female gender differences
Reading body language
Effective communication styles
male and female leadership characteristics
Women in corporate America
Minorities in the workplace
Performance acknowledgment
High performance leadership
Increasing sales
Reducing credit card debt
Inspiring others daily
Integrity in the work place
How to cook 20 minute meals

In short phrases, list your core competencies. You're on your way to your signature speech! The next step to take is to craft your expertise clearly using 1-2 sentences.

Mary McKay
Speaker Marketing Specialist

Turnkey Marketing for Experts Who Speak
http://www.TurnkeySpeaker.com
Get immediate access to 2 FREE Insider Reports, including 7 Ways to Get Paid to Speak.

Mary McKay Productions, Inc.
Mary@TurnkeySpeaker.com
(949)429-6646

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_McKay

Operations Management 8 of 8 - Quality Control

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:57:17 +0100

Quality Control Versus Quality Assurance - Is There A Difference?

By Marci L. Crane

It's not uncommon to hear the similar phrases quality control and quality assurance1 used interchangeably. This tendency, though a seemingly benign blunder, is actually a revealing reflection of an unhealthy quality management system.

What is quality control?

First of all, quality control is the "check" or the "end-of-the-immediate-task-at-hand" record or analysis that determines the acceptability or unacceptability of a product, a product plan, a product part, etc. Tasks related to quality control may include documented reviews, calibration, or additional types of measurable testing (sampling, etc.). Tasks related to quality control will reoccur more often than activities associated with quality assurance.

The Final Determination

Essentially, quality control is determined by the comparison of a product against the original specifications that were created before the product existed.

Who is involved with quality control?

Tasks related to quality control will usually require the involvement of those directly associated with the research, design or production of a product. An employee in charge of quality control related tasks is likely to report to his "local" department head and no further.

Quality Control Software: What functions should it perform?

Quality control software should be able to automate electronic "checks" and "tests" (best if done via a web-based system).

These checks may include the following quality control tasks:

• Customer complaints documentation.

• The record keeping of electronic forms or documents associated with step-by-step quality control processes.

• Forms routing.

• Automatic distribution and grading of training exams.

• Collaborative tasks.

What is quality assurance?

Quality assurance is more or less the determination of the processes that will determine the template and pattern of quality control tasks. Quality assurance assignments do not have to be measurable, although quality assurance evaluators will often use past experience or regulation as a guide for process determination.

The Final Determination

Essentially, quality assurance is determined by top-level policies, procedures, work instructions and governmental regulations.

Who is involved with quality assurance?

As opposed to quality control checks, quality assurance reports are more likely to be performed by managers, by corporate level administrators or 3rd party auditors.

Quality Assurance Software: What functions should it perform?

A quality assurance software solution should provide tracking and analytics (i.e. plus reporting features). A complete CAPA digital management solution is also a plus.

The most important function a quality assurance software solution however is flexibility and capability to be customized. After all, every quality assurance process determination will vary from company to company and a software solution should ideally be molded to the various needs of those companies.

The Importance of Distinguishing Quality Control from Quality Assurance Activities

It is important to treat the quality control tasks as separate from the quality assurance activities for the following reasons:

1) A product with continuous quality control checks may be entirely successful but the processes that govern those checks may still prove faulty (take too much time, too much revenue, etc.)

2) One person should not be performing both quality control and quality assurance assignments. Since quality assurance essentially controls the ebb and flow of quality control, having one person over both types of tasks is inherently a conflict of interest.

3) The two types of tasks are different. Why think about quality control and quality assurance as the same sort of process when quality control tasks are measured by specific details (i.e. numbers, specifications, etc.) and quality assurance activities are measured more by written policies, higher level work instructions or even by the opinions of management?

4) Some companies devote too much energy to quality control and some to quality assurance. Both processes must receive evaluation and management.

Conclusion

For life science and high-tech professionals an understanding of why quality control and quality assurance are important and how quality control and quality assurance tasks can best be accomplished are foundational building blocks for a strong regulated company.

1. [http://www.builderau.com.au/strategy/projectmanagement/soa/Quality-control-vs-quality-assurance/0],339028292,339191784,00.htm

Marci Crane is a copywriter for MasterControl in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information regarding quality control and quality assurance solutions, please feel free to contact a MasterControl representative.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Quality-Control-Versus-Quality-Assurance---Is-There-A-Difference?&id=859601

Operations Management 7 of 8 - Scheduling

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:55:43 +0100

Scheduling (production processes)

Scheduling is an important tool for manufacturing and engineering, where it can have a major impact on the productivity of a process. In manufacturing, the purpose of scheduling is to minimize the production time and costs, by telling a production facility what to make, when, with which staff, and on which equipment. Production scheduling aims to maximize the efficiency of the operation and reduce costs.

Production scheduling tools greatly outperform older manual scheduling methods. These provide the production scheduler with powerful graphical interfaces which can be used to visually optimize real-time workloads in various stages of production, and pattern recognition allows the software to automatically create scheduling opportunities which might not be apparent without this view into the data. For example, an airline might wish to minimize the number of airport gates required for its aircraft, in order to reduce costs, and scheduling software can allow the planners to see how this can be done, by analyzing time tables, aircraft usage, or the flow of passengers.

Companies use backward and forward scheduling to allocate plant and machinery resources, plan human resources, plan production processes and purchase materials.

Forward scheduling is planning the tasks from the date resources become available to determine the shipping date or the due date.

Backward scheduling is planning the tasks from the due date or required-by date to determine the start date and/or any changes in capacity required.

The benefits of production scheduling include:

Process change-over reduction
Inventory reduction, leveling
Reduced scheduling effort
Increased production efficiency
Labor load leveling
Accurate delivery date quotes
Real time information

Productivity

Productivity is the relation between quantity of inputs and quantity of output.

Inputs

Inputs are plant, labor, materials, tooling, energy and a clean environment.

Outputs

Outputs are the products produced in factories either for other factories or for the end buyer. The extent to which any one product is produced within any one factory is governed by transaction cost.

Within the factory

The output of any one work area within the factory is an input to the next work area in that factory according to the manufacturing process. For example the output of the cutting room is an input to the sewing room.

For the next factory

By way of example, the output of a paper mill is an input to a print factory. The output of a petrochemicals plant is an input to an asphalt plant, a cosmetics factory and a plastics factory.

For the end buyer

Factory output goes to the consumer via a service business such as a retailer or an asphalt paving company.

Resource allocation

Resource allocation is assigning inputs to produce output. The aim is to maximize output with given inputs or to minimize quantity of inputs to produce required output.

Batch Production Scheduling

Background

Batch production scheduling is the practice of planning and scheduling of batch manufacturing processes. See Batch production. Although, scheduling may apply to traditionally continuous processes, such as refining, it is especially important for batch processes such as those for pharmaceutical active ingredients, biotechnology processes and many specialty chemical processes. Batch production scheduling shares some concepts and techniques with finite capacity scheduling which has been applied to many manufacturing problems ^[5]. The specific issues of scheduling batch manufacturing processes have generated considerable industrial and academic interest.

Scheduling in the Batch Processing Environment

A batch process can be described in terms of a recipe which comprises a bill of materials and operating instructions which describe how to make the product. The ISA S88 batch process control standard provides a framework for describing a batch process recipe. The standard provides a procedural hierarchy for a recipe. A recipe may be organized into a series of unit-procedures or major steps. Unit-procedures are organized into operations, and operations may be further organized into phases.

The following text-book recipe illustrates the organization.

Charge and Mix materials A and B in a heated reactor, heat to 80C and react 4 hours to form C.
Transfer to blending tank, add solvent D, Blend 1hour. Solid C precipitates.
Centrifuge for 2 hours to separate C.
Dry in a tray dryer for 1 hour.

A simplified S88-style procedural organization of the recipe might appear as follows:

Unit Procedure 1: Reaction

Operation 1: Charge A & B (0.5 hours)
Operation 3: Blend / Heat (1 hour)
Operation 4: Hold at 80C for 4 hours
Operation 5: Pump solution through cooler to blend tank (0.5 hours)
Operation 5: Clean (1 hour)

Unit Procedure 2: Blending Precipitation

Operation 1: Receive solution from reactor
Operation 2: Add solvent, D (0.5 hours)
Operation 3: Blend for 2 hours
Operation 4: Pump to centrifuge for 2 hours
Operation 5: Clean up (1 hour)

Unit Procedure 3: Centrifugation

Operation 1: Centrifuge solution for 2 hours
Operation 2: Clean

Unit Procedure 4: Tote

Operation 1: Receive material from centrifuge
Operation 2: Load dryer (15 min)

Unit Procedure 5: Dry

Operation 1: Load
Operation 2: Dry (1 hour)

Note that the organization here is intended to capture the entire process for scheduling. A recipe for process-control purposes may have a more narrow scope.

Most of the constraints and restrictions described by Pinedo^[9] are applicable in batch processing. The various operations in a recipe are subject to timing or precedence constraints that describe when they start and or end with respect to each other. Furthermore, because materials may be perishable or unstable, waiting between successive operations may be limited or impossible. Operation durations may be fixed or they may depend on the durations of other operations.

In addition to process equipment, batch process activities may require labor, materials, utilities and extra equipment.

Article source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia