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Final Paper - OPEMAN

This document summarizes an operations management evaluation of Rakso Computer Technology's process for developing Facebook ad campaigns. The evaluation team identified opportunities to streamline the process and improve client involvement. Key recommendations include retaining the open office layout, creating standard operating procedures, removing redundant steps, and incorporating more client input during campaign design. The goal is to enhance service delivery and gain competitive advantages like faster turnaround.

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Mlb T. De Torres
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
79 views30 pages

Final Paper - OPEMAN

This document summarizes an operations management evaluation of Rakso Computer Technology's process for developing Facebook ad campaigns. The evaluation team identified opportunities to streamline the process and improve client involvement. Key recommendations include retaining the open office layout, creating standard operating procedures, removing redundant steps, and incorporating more client input during campaign design. The goal is to enhance service delivery and gain competitive advantages like faster turnaround.

Uploaded by

Mlb T. De Torres
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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List of Acronyms

BTL Below-the-Line
FB Facebook
KV Key Visuals
OIC Officer-in-Charge
TL Team Leader

List of Abbreviations

Ad Advertisement
App Applications
Rakso CT Rakso Computer Technology, Inc.

Definition of Terms

Brand pertains to an account that a Marketing person handles.


Brand Engine or Engine Team pertains to a group of Marketing and Design people who
work together on an account/client.
BTL Advertising is an advertising strategy in which a product is promoted in mediums
other than radio, television, billboards, print and film.
Chatbot is a is a computer program or an artificial intelligence which simulates a
conversation with human users via auditory or textual methods, especially over the
internet.
Client is a representative of the company or the brand. He/she communicates to the
Marketing people.
Creative Director is a person who foresees all the client deliverables. He/she makes
sure that all digital materials are in the best of quality.
Creative Technology is a broadly interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary field combining
computing, design, art and the humanities. The field of creative technology encompasses

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art, digital product design, digital media or an advertising and media made with a
software-based, electronic and/or data-driven engine.
Digital Advertising is a type of advertising that uses social media sites, search engines,
etc. to generate online awareness.
Digital OIC is a person who handles the whole Marketing Team. He/she oversees all the
Marketing operations.
Facebook Campaign is a type of digital campaign that uses Facebook as its main
medium of communication.
Marketing Associate is a Marketing staff of the Marketing Team Leader. He/she handles
1-2 brands.
Marketing Brief is a document sent by a client to a Brand Engine that contains all the
information needed to create an on-start campaign.
Marketing Specialist is a Marketing staff of the Marketing Team Leader. He/she handles
2 or more brands and oversees 1-2 Marketing Associates.
Pitch Deck or Deck is a document that Marketing people uses to present a new digital
campaign idea to a client, usually in the form of a power point presentation.
Team Leader pertains to a person who supervises a team composed of 2 or more
Marketing or Design people.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As part of the acquired learning and understanding of the relevant topics and concepts in
Operations Management, an evaluation of a process flow was conducted to provide an
opportunity for the graduate students, forming the Evaluation Team, to work on a practical
application of the concepts involved. A company was chosen to be the subject of this
evaluation, and Rakso Computer Technology, Inc. (“Rakso CT”) was the organization that
was selected.

As a background, Rakso CT is a creative technology company that was incorporated in


2006. It is primarily engaged in the business of software, applications, and website
development for travel-related services, among others, and a pioneer in the digital
marketing/advertising industry in the Philippines.

Based on its actual operations, Rakto CT operates on a process-focused strategy wherein


the company is engaged in making low-volume, high-variety services. Considering this,
each service engagement would come out as unique for each client, thus ultimately
leading to the company’s service design being done on a per project basis. Its core
operational processes include the delivery of software and applications development,
website development for travel-related services, other general business applications, and
digital advertising services.

For the purposes of this evaluation, the Team focused on the operational process of
Rakso CT’s Digital Advertising services related to Facebook Campaigns. This operational
process involves the creation of a Pitch Deck as the final deliverable, which is a
presentation document that captures a new digital campaign proposal for a client. Such
is crafted according to the marketing brief provided by a client to launch a digital
advertising campaign on the most commonly used and popular social media platform that
is Facebook.

By using descriptive study and interviews as the main data collection methodology, and
subject to certain limitations, the Evaluation Team was able to identify where appropriate
changes should be made in the focused process. In line with this evaluation’s main
objectives, the Evaluation Team has come up with relevant recommendations for process
improvements for the company’s appreciation that aims to add value to the delivery of its
Facebook Campaign services, as follows:

1. The Evaluation Team studied the office’s physical layout and suggested to retain
the same, as the design is found to be suitable to the kind of work that the company
engages in. Changes to be implemented, if any, should be aimed towards
improving the same mixture of open space and enclosed areas that will preserve
balance and keep the conduciveness for creative thinking. This is especially
considering that the digital advertising services, as its main operational process,
require a lot of creative output;

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2. The Evaluation Team had identified the total absence of a procedures manual in
the conduct of operations and suggested its preparation and establishment, not
only for purposes of institutionalizing a formal documentation of processes and
procedures, but also for more important purposes that the company will benefit
from such as:

a. Removing subjective, doubtful and individual application of processes in


operations;

b. Reducing, if not totally eliminating, redundant tasks; and

c. Eventually aiming for ISO Certification to ensure consistent delivery of


quality services to its clients.

3. The Evaluation Team identified redundant steps in the process of carrying out the
Facebook Campaign which are non-value adding and recommended its removal
to streamline and accelerate the delivery of its services. It bears emphasis that
speed of delivery is essential for a company in gaining competitive advantage and
better client satisfaction; and

4. The Evaluation Team suggested to incorporate the client’s involvement during the
whole process of the service delivery for Facebook Campaigns, instead of only
relying on the marketing brief, and communicating after the preparation of the draft
Pitch Deck. The client’s involvement, most especially during the stage of designing
of the campaign will lead to a shorter turn-around time because the output
produced by the Engine team will result to a more accurate representation of the
client’s objectives and requirements.

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CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION

Background
Operations Management is one of the most important areas of management, as it
is concerned with designing and controlling of the processes of production and
redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services. It involves the
responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as few
resources as needed and effective in terms of meeting customer requirements.
Operations Management is thus primarily concerned with planning, organizing and
supervising in the contexts of production, manufacturing or the provision of services. It is
also concerned with managing an entire production system which is the process that
converts inputs (in the forms of raw materials, labor, and energy) into outputs (in the form
of goods and/or services), as an asset or delivers a product or services.

As operations is one of the major functions in any organization along with supply chains,
marketing, finance and human resources, the operations function requires management
of both the strategic and day-to-day production of goods and services. In managing
manufacturing or service operations, several types of decisions are made including
operations strategy, product design, process design, quality management, capacity,
facilities planning, production planning and inventory control. Each of these requires an
ability to analyze the current situation and find better solutions to improve the
effectiveness and efficiency of manufacturing or service operations.

Rationale

As part of the acquired learning and understanding of the relevant topics and concepts
discussed in Operations Management, an evaluation of a process flow is intended to
provide an opportunity for the graduate students to work on a practical application of the
concepts involved. This provides them an avenue to concretely apply the relevant
theories to real situations in a chosen company or organization.

Objectives

The main objective of this evaluation is aimed at improving a process flow for a product
or service as it moves through the whole system in an organization. With Rakso CT as
our chosen company subject for the evaluation, this study will mainly focus on one of its
core process of providing digital marketing solutions, limited to its delivery of Facebook
Campaign services to clients.
Specifically, the objectives of this evaluation are identified as follows:
• To identify a potential area for process improvement in the delivery of its
Facebook campaign as a form of digital advertising services;

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• To come up with and recommend a more effective flow of the service
delivery as it goes through the people and units in the organization; and

• To lessen or reduce, as much as possible, the turn-around time for the


service delivery to the client.

Composition of the Evaluation Team

This evaluation shall be conducted by a team of graduate students, composed of four (4)
members, namely:
1. Luz Jordana S. Jose;
2. Pankaj Chdiar;
3. Christian Severine G. Mascardo; and
4. Ma. Lourdes Bernabeth T. De Torres

Subject Company of the Evaluation


The Team has selected Rakso Computer Technology, Inc. (“Rakso CT”) as the company
to be subjected for an evaluation. The Team has identified and chosen one of its existing
operational processes to be able to come up with recommended improvements thereto.

Corporate Background and Information


Rakso CT was incorporated and registered with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) on June 27, 2006. The principal activities of the company are to
engage in software and applications development and website development for travel-
related services, and other general business applications; and to engage in other
Information Technology (IT)-related service endeavors. It falls under the classification of
a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME).

The company’s office is located at the 5th Floor, Ricogen Building, 112 Aguirre Street,
Legaspi Village, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

It is a Creative Technology company and one of the pioneers in the digital marketing
industry in the Philippines, as it has been operating for more than a decade. The company
is committed to providing affective and effective Creative Technology experiences here
and abroad, as it possesses competencies in Digital Marketing, Technology Development
and Activations.

In line with its vision, Rakso CT commits to be an empathetic and human enterprise;
provide innovative solutions shaped from deep insights and powerful ideas; and show

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excellence in all its services that establishes and sustains a harmonious relationship
among partners and stakeholders.

As a leader and pioneer in the industry, Rakso CT provides digital solutions and creates
websites, mobile applications, systems, software and digital design, among other
computer-related services, that are crafted to suit the client’s vision. In doing so, the
company’s services are so diverse that are typically unique to the client, and the service
design thereof is usually done on a per project basis.

Organizational Structure

The company has a total of forty seven (47) positions, of which, forty-five (45) are currently
filled (as of February 2019). Its organizational structure (refer to Annex A) is composed
of five (5) major organizational units, namely – (1) Finance, (2) Human Resource (HR) &
Administration, (3) Marketing & Customer Operations, (4) Multimedia & Design and (5)
Web & Mobile Application Development.

These 5 units are spread across the office, and the physical layout of the company’s office
space is aimed at being simple yet is designed to be highly effective to respond to the
nature of work that the company engages in.

Core Processes

Rakso CT provides digital solutions to its customers from the delivery of software and
applications development, website development for travel-related services, and other
general business applications. Revenue is earned by the company in the form of service
fees in rendering these services to its customers.

The following are the core processes of the company’s operations:

• Microsoft Licensing and Certification


➢ Perpetual or Subscription Licensing
➢ Microsoft Training and Certification Programs
• Website and App Development
➢ Systems for Education (digitized systems, e-learning)
➢ Chatbot
➢ Mobile Apps
• Social Media Management
➢ Stock Photos

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➢ Ad Creatives
➢ Content Design & Development
• Digital Advertising Services
➢ App boosting (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Google)
➢ Facebook Campaigns
• BTL Advertising
➢ Booth designs
➢ Brand Activations (corporate center activation, human billboard activation,
convenience store activation, biogenic special activation)
• Video Production
• Cybersecurity System
➢ System Security Solution
➢ Penetration Test

Out of the operational processes of Rakso CT, this evaluation shall be focused solely on
the Digital Advertising services relating to Facebook Campaigns. As defined, Facebook
Campaign is a type of digital campaign that uses the social media platform, Facebook, as
its main medium of communication. It involves the delivery of a Pitch Deck according to
the marketing brief provided by a client to launch an advertising campaign on Facebook.
This type of service is being carried out and executed by the 3 units, as follows:
a. Marketing & Customer Operations Department
b. Multimedia & Design Department
c. Web & Mobile Application Development Department

Based on the general walkthrough of its service processes, Rakso CT employs a process-
focused form of strategy in that their operations are devoted in making low-volume, high-
variety services. Their operations are basically organized around the delivery of digital
solutions to clients and customers.

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CHAPTER 2:
EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

Methodology
The study was carried out using the descriptive design. Descriptive study is concerned
with conditions or relationships that exist, opinions that are held, processes that are going
on, effects that are evident or trends that are developing. Our design is to collect
qualitative data generated from open-ended interview questions which will be analyzed
for the Team to fully understand the company processes and how services are designed
and conducted.

The study was conducted in the office premises of the Company where they carry out
their operations, particularly on the digital advertisement service design. On top of the
interviews, the Evaluation Team observed how things are done, and made constant follow
ups for confirmation, as well as to vet the accuracy of information gathered.

This study targeted the management and employees of Rakso CT. The evaluation study
is set out to determine the appropriate changes and improvements to be applied in a
particular process of the company that may add value or possibly reduce non-value steps
of the process.

Data Collection Method

Data collection is a process of gathering and measuring information relevant for the
evaluation of the processes of the Company. For this study, interview, field visits and/or
observations are the data collection method that were used. Interview method is used
since it generally yields the highest data and quality response, takes advantage of
interviewer presence and it is a multi-method data collection. An in-depth interview with
the relevant personnel will yield a lot of information that is useful in determining how to
come up with effective recommendatory programs. This method of data collection was
also deemed as best-suited, given the type of operations/services the subject company
has.

First, the Evaluation Team members obtained permission from the management of the
Company through a formal letter request (see Annex B). The management was
approached so as to explain the purpose of the study, obtain their consent and request
for their assistance, particularly in providing company profile, organizational charts, and
other detailed pertinent documents needed to understand the process of their operations.

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Second, the Evaluation Team members also requested that persons in charge and/or
directly involved in the Facebook Campaign services as part of the digital advertising
process be interviewed personally. Before the actual conduct of the interview, the
company personnel were given instructions and briefed on what is to be expected and
delivered out of the interview. Their confidence was backed up by the Team members’
assurance that confidentiality will be kept throughout the whole endeavor.

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CHAPTER 3:
LIMITATIONS TO THE EVALUATION

Time
This evaluation was done in a total time frame of one month to conduct the necessary
research, data gathering, field works, interviews, team meetings, and drafting of the whole
report. The period within which this evaluation was embarked on, coupled with the
availability of the company personnel and team members involved, is limited in the sense
that a more extensive procedure may have been done had there been more favorable
time and availability involved.

Availability
The data gathering, field visits and interviews were done during the working days of the
week, as it coincides with the availability of the staff/personnel from the company subject
of this evaluation. There was also limited field visits since the members of the Team are
all working students who have constraints with availing of leave of absence from their
respective offices. To make up for the field visits, constant communication and follow
throughs were made via email, telephone, and cellphone, which are more convenient for
both the Team members and the relevant company personnel.

Scope
One major limitation to this evaluation is the nature of services that Rakso CT provides.
As a company of digital advertising, also called Internet advertising or Internet marketing,
its main business leverages on internet technologies to deliver promotional
advertisements to consumers. Digital advertising includes promotional advertisements
and messages delivered in a variety of platforms such as through email, social media
websites, online advertising on search engines, banner ads on mobile or web sites and
affiliates programs. Considering the complexity of the service it provides, this evaluation
was agreed upon to be limited to one process, still as part of digital advertising, but
focused on the delivery of Facebook Campaign services.

Absence of Procedures Manual or Operations Manual


While doing the walk through of Rakso CT and its processes, the first constraint
encountered was their lack of a Procedures Manual or an Operations Manual in their
operations. Hence, this evaluation was based on the representations made by the
employees and personnel who were interviewed and are involved in the selected process
of providing Facebook Campaign services. The Team relied on their statements as to
how the actual process is being executed and used them as basis for the Team’s
construction, interpretation of and recommendation for the process layout.

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Use of Evaluation Findings
It is agreed-upon with Rakso CT that the findings and recommendations outlined in this
evaluation will inform them of the issues that need to be considered in carrying out their
Facebook Campaign on digital advertising, among others. The information to be provided
and the findings of this evaluation are to be kept confidential by everyone involved,
including anyone else who will necessarily acquire the information.

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I
D R

D P RT T:

inance

C R C R dministration
R
arketing Customer perations
1. Facility (Office) Layout

ultimedia Design

eb obile Development

I C D:
R
acant Table

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Divider Pillar
PR ID T
Pantry
CHAPTER 4:

Below is a depiction of the company’s office layout:

Coffee aker
EVALUATION FINDINGS

Printer

ircon

ote: ot e act measurements


T C
R

R R IR IT
The physical arrangement of the units within the company’s office space is basically
designed to be conducive to the personnel’s working style given the nature of its
operations.

The Conference Room, President’s Room and tock Room are aligned on the same
leftmost side, with the President’s Room situated in between. The President’s Room was
positioned in such area to give it a vantage point, with a good complete view of the
personnel from the three (3) main operating units, i.e., Marketing & Customer Operations
Department, Multimedia & Design Department and Web & Mobile Development
Department.

As seen in the office layout, the three (3) main operating units are spread across the
office, with the cubicles of both the Marketing & Customer Operations Department and
Multimedia & Design Department positioned to face each other.

Moreover, the Web & Mobile Development Department, which is part of the team that
forms a Brand Engine is positioned strategically in three separate places – two of which
are among the two other Departments they closely work with, and the bulk of them beside
the HR & Administration unit.

As to the HR & Administration unit, it is placed on one side of the office at the topmost,
since there are only two personnel in this unit.

The Finance Department is positioned next to the entrance, and centrally located to be
accessible by the rest of the units.

Lastly, the office has a bar table that is positioned at the center of the whole office space,
where it is surrounded by all the units. This bar table is intended for informal meetings,
discussions, brainstorming and the like for the creative units’ use.

The company’s office lay out is more on the cubic type with open spaces. This setup
provides partly enclosed workspaces with high or small walls from each worker from those
around them. The cubical setup is designed for team harmony, as well as privacy of work
among the employees.

2. Manual of Work Procedures


As gathered from the interview with relevant personnel, it was identified upfront that the
company does not have any existing work manual on its standard operating procedures
(SOP). SOPs are written procedures prescribed for repetitive use as a practice, in
accordance with agreed upon specifications aimed at obtaining a desired outcome. These
SOPs are commonly elucidated in a Work Manual or Procedures and Work Instructions
Manual (PAWIM).

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3. Process Flow of Facebook Campaign Service

With the lack of a Manual of Work Procedures, the Team has worked on the
representations made by the relevant personnel during the interviews made.
To illustrate, however, the flowchart below shows the Team’s understanding of how the
process for a Facebook Campaign is being delivered to a client:

15
Notes to the Process Flowchart:
1. Any prospective client may contact any employee in the company, but more particularly
to be directed to the marketing team. The Marketing & Customer Operations
department requires a marketing brief for the client’s digital advertising needs via a
Facebook Campaign, among other pertinent documents, to start with. This usually
contains the strategies, budget, and detailed proposals for the advertising campaign
requirements. The Marketing associate then forms an Engine team, which is usually
composed of three employees, one multimedia designer, one marketing associate, and
one animator. Based on the client’s marketing brief, the ngine will have to brainstorm,
formulate an advertising tagline they think is best suitable for their client, and fulfill the
requirements of the client’s advertising Facebook Campaign.

2. The initially drafted advertising tagline will have to be reviewed directly by the President
for approval. If not accepted, the draft advertising tagline will go back to the Engine
team for revisions. The same process continues until the President’s approval is
obtained. Thereafter, the Engine will start the service design and processes to make
the advertising Facebook Campaign requirements for the client. It usually takes up 2
to 3 weeks to finish a draft advertising campaign.

3. Once the Engine team finishes with the proposed Facebook Campaign, it will have to
draft a presentation called as a “Pitch Deck” that will undergo a series of reviews and
approvals by the TL or senior marketing specialist, and ultimately by the President. If
the Pitch Deck is not accepted, it will have to be subjected to editing by the Engine.
Once final approval is obtained, it will be presented to the client through a meeting or
conference call. Any revisions that are requested by the client will again be made by
the Engine team, and subject to the whole internal approval process again.

4. Once the Pitch Deck for the Facebook Campaign will reach final approval from client,
this will be uploaded on the client’s acebook by the ngine team. The length of

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running time of the Facebook Campaign ads will depend on the budget and agreement
by the company and the client.

Gleaning from the current process workflow, the Engine team relies mainly on the
marketing brief that is submitted by the client which contains the detailed requirements of
its digital advertising needs according to their preferences. ence, the client’s
involvement in the whole process is found only in the beginning during the initiation stage,
and in the last stage where they will have to give the approval and accept the Pitch Deck
as the final required output from the company.
As its operations require the company to be process-focused, the actual processes
involved in the conduct of business are very salient in the delivery of its services.

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CHAPTER 5:
CONCLUSIONS

1. Facility Layout
Rakso CT’s office layout provides for an organized partitioning of units, but also
encourages harmonious flow of work at the same time. The cubicles across the open
space allows for utilization of available space in an optimized manner.
The 3 main operating units are positioned strategically across the office to encourage
better and faster interaction and transactions among the personnel that closely work with
together. This also helps avoid disruption or delay, especially when they form into a Brand
Engine, do brainstorming and all the work together.
The R unit’s position was also secluded so as not to be disturbed by the creative
sessions of the other departments, yet still accessible enough for the personnel to
approach them for HR-related and administrative needs.
Moreover, the inance department’s place is also conducive for close coordination among
the other units regarding purchasing, billing and other accounting-related purposes.
ith Rakso CT’s current office layout, it is found that such is working to the benefit of the
company and its personnel as the design is suitable to the kind of work that it engages in.
There is a mixture of open space, along with the center bar table, for creativity to flourish
and blossom, but at the same time, the cubicles draw the line and provide that sense of
balance that is needed to maintain a harmonious work place, and in getting the job done
with minimal distractions.

In this regard, the Evaluation Team deems no further modifications or improvements are
necessary to the physical lay-out, given the current set-up and operations of the company.
Changes to be implemented, if any, should be aimed towards improving, or where it is
not possible, then at least maintain the same mixture of open space and enclosed areas
that will preserve balance and keep the conduciveness for creative thinking. This is
especially considering that the digital advertising services, along with the nature of the
company’s business, require a lot of creative output.

2. No Manual of Work Procedures


Rakso CT has no existing Procedures Manual or PAWIM in the conduct of its operations.
Needless to say, it is also not certified with ISO (International Organization for
Standardization) standards.
In this regard, the company may encounter operational problems or issues resulting from
the lack of properly controlled procedures such as:

18
▪ Subject to Interpretation. – When a company lacks documentation, the procedures
are highly likely open to the interpretation of the employees and personnel handling
them. The personnel who have been with the company for a long time do their
work in a certain way because that’s the method they’ve always been done. ver
time, slight shifts in how each personnel approach a task or work may crack the
foundation of the company’s business and create confusion. Moreover, when
hiring new employees, they will be left to their own devices and this inhibits growth.
Since there is no existing work manual, the employees are unable to get clear
answers as to how or why something is done, and in effect make their respective
assumptions. This leads to inefficiencies and frustrations among them, as well as
management.

▪ Lack of Opportunities for Improvement. – Without a regular or periodic review of


processes and procedures, the company will not be able to improve them.
Businesses are dynamic, and things are constantly changing. New tools or
equipment become available, supplier requirements change, and staffing matrixes
are fluid. If the procedures are controlled and properly documented, the company
can readily determine if something is outdated. Documentation also is a useful
reference to create necessary solutions to internal problems.

▪ Redundant Tasks. – When procedures are not accessible nor available to the
entire organization, redundancy surfaces as an issue. Work is prone to be done
incorrectly, tasks may be duplicated, or may need to be corrected and this creates
additional work for the administration unit in the organization. Ultimately, this can
also lead to unhappy clients or misperceptions about the organization.

The company should consider taking initial steps towards documenting its work
processes and procedures to avoid these types of operational problems that pose
significant costs and operational risks.

3. Process Flow of Facebook Campaign Service

Based on the current process workflow of the company on how a Facebook Campaign is
being delivered to a client, the Team has noted that the approval and review processes
of the TL and the President may not be that necessary because it is the client who has
the final say and ultimately decides and accepts the Facebook Campaign ad.

While it may be argued that the inputs and recommendations from more experienced
managers and seniors will help the Engine team with the required output, the efficiency
and timeliness of the approval process need to bear more weight in the process of
delivering the service. The reviews made by the seniors can be regarded as redundant,
and the concurrent approvals may cause unnecessary delays, hold-ups, and snags that
result in overwhelming stress, frustration, and irritation for the employees, or even worse,
missed deadlines and business opportunities.

19
Thus, one of the most critical part of delivering this type of service that is lacking in the
company’s current process flow is the e tent of the client’s involvement. It is very
important to keep the client informed and engaged with regards the process and progress
of its requirements, not only in the beginning and finishing stages, but also when the
actual designing of the work is being done. This way, the company would be able to
employ a more rapid response in producing a more accurate output. Such speed of
delivery is salient to gain competitive advantage.

20
CHAPTER 6:
RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Establish Manual of Work Procedures

Every organization, whether big or small, can benefit from having a basic framework to
fall back on when things don't, or even do go, as planned. The purpose of a procedures
manual for Rakso CT is to provide a reference book whereby its employees can refer to
and review action guidelines, and prospective new employees can be efficiently
introduced with its unique work operations.
A procedures or operations manual will enable the personnel/employees of the company,
among others, to:
✓ Initiate action speedily without seeking unnecessary direction, assistance and/or
approval from the other employees in the company;
✓ Helps reduce errors or variations, duplications of tasks and procedures being
subjected to employees’ interpretations;

✓ Perform a procedure of another employee’s responsibility should the need arise;

✓ Eliminate delays that occur when procedures are vague and not structured or
standardized; and

✓ Establish a standard of performance for employees’ fair evaluation and


appraisals.
Thus, it is recommended for Rakso CT to formally establish its SOPs and craft a manual
of its existing procedures for all the units in the organization. The establishment of a
manual of work procedures may be initiated by the company’s R dministration unit
to call for the creation of an ad-hoc committee, with representative(s) from each of the
units, for the purpose of institutionalizing this endeavor. Each of the units within the
company will be assigned to undertake the crafting of their own operations or procedures
manual, wherein the processes and step-by-step procedures that is being done will be
put into writing and formally documented.
At a minimum, an operations or procedures manual should contain the following:
- Definition of Terms
- List of Processes Identified in a Unit
- Narrative of the Procedural Approach for Each Process Identified
- List of Appendices

21
Through this, the company’s operations and processes will be standardized as there are
formal narratives of the processes on how they are and should be done. This will
effectively remove the risk that the procedures are being executed or subjected to
interpretation by the employees. With processes and procedures laid down in black and
white, this may help the company’s operations to be more smooth-sailing and can prevent
the problems and issues as previously noted, which may pose significant, unnecessary
but avoidable costs to the company.
Moreover, proper and formal documentation of the company’s processes may lead to
reaping important benefits such as:

▪ Customer Service. – To succeed, businesses must provide top customer service


to its clients. When things go right, customer service is easy; when they don't,
having a procedure to quickly and thoroughly address the problem is imperative.
To repair trust, clients must not only know that the problem has been resolved to
their satisfaction, but they must be reassured that the problem won't happen again
in the future. Having a procedure in place to document the issue and the solutions
thereto keeps everyone happy – the clients, the employees and the company.
Alternatively, not having it results to unhappy clients, and potentially losing them.

▪ Efficiency and Control. – Procedures can save the company money. It helps
ensure that efforts and resources aren't duplicated or redundant. This is also in
line with the corporate responsibility of businesses where they must exert efforts
in their operations to optimize the use of precious and scarce resources, while
avoiding any form of wastage.

Corollary to the Team’s recommendation on the establishment of work manuals, Rakso


CT may also bring this a notch higher by considering adopting the ISO Standards,
specifically the ISO 9000 family – which addresses various aspects of quality
management and contains some of I ’s best-known standards. These standards
provide guidance and tools for companies and organizations who want to ensure that
their products and services consistently meet customer’s requirements, and that quality
is consistently improved.

The ISO 9001:2015 sets out the criteria for a quality management system and is the only
standard in the family that can be certified to. It can be used by any organization, large or
small, regardless of its field of activity. In fact, there are over one million companies and
organizations in over 170 countries certified to ISO 9001. This standard is based on a
number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the
motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual
improvement. Using ISO 9001:2015 helps ensure that customers get consistent, good
quality products and services, which in turn brings many business benefits.

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As a reference, Rakso CT may use the I ’s quality manual template, procedures, forms
and audit checklists that will provide the company with the robust framework required
for implementing the ISO 9001 for the first time.

As the manualization of procedures is an initial step towards obtaining ISO certification,


Rakso CT may devote its efforts towards this unified goal of ensuring consistent delivery
of quality services to its clients. Better documentation of procedures and processes may
not only improve the effectiveness and efficiency of business operations but can also
unlock opportunities to improve business performance. As an SME, Rakso CT can use
this as its competitive advantage against its bigger competitors. When the benefits of
proper and formal documentation will result in the delivery of quality and better services,
continued patronage may be expected and there is a potential to obtain a larger and
broader client base.

2. Remove Redundant Procedures and Incorporate Client Involvement in the


Design Process of Facebook Campaign by the Engine Team

The company is processed-focus, hence, on its process flow of the company’s acebook
Campaign advertising services, the Evaluation Team recommends that the company
should have a more structured and more efficient workflow by trimming down the
identified non-value adding and redundant steps in the process, particularly the following:

a. Review and approval of draft Pitch Deck by the Team Leaders; and
b. Review and approval of draft Pitch Deck by the President.

These steps, which are considered as redundant, are recommended to be removed from
the process since these may cause bottlenecks in the workflow. In its stead, the review
and approvals should be made directly by the client or its representative because it is
them who knows precisley that they want or what they do not, their requirements are
usually high customization. Through this, their unique requirements for the Facebook
Campaign may be captured and addressed during the stage of designing of the campaing
and, more importantly, in real-time.

To illustrate, below is a revised process flowchart capturing the Team’s recommendations


on the current process:

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In this revised process flowchart, instead of going throuhg a series of review and approval
processes from the Team Leaders and the President, the draft advertising campaign will
be presented directly to the client for comments, so that any recommendations and/or
required revisions will be applied and incorporated by the Engine team without wasting
too much time, efforts, and resource. Bypassing the internal review and approval
processes will help speed up the delivery of the output to the client.

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Client Involvement in the Process
Based on the foregoing, the Team recommeds that Rakso CT should establish the
necessary steps for the involvement of the client along the stages in the process of
delivering its Facebook Campaign services, most especially during the stage of designing
the advertising campaign. In order to attan this, the company should communicate to their
clients well the importance of the latter’s involvement, and request from them a
representative who is capable and most suitable to work closely with the company’s
Engine team to consistently provide more reliable inputs and feedback in real-time.

ith the client’s active and reinforced involvement in the process, this can strengthen a
better integration of ideas and concepts from both ends which will lead to a better resulting
output. It will also reduce problems and avoid further design alterations because the client
is involved to accurately communicate directions and changes according to their version
and preferences.

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CHAPTER 7:
LESSONS LEARNED

Importance of Reliability of Data/Information

The evaluation of this study was solely anchored on the representations made by the
personnel of the company who were interviewed. Their respective versions as to how the
process is being carried out in operations was interpreted by the Evaluation Team,
consolidated and was made as basis for the process subject of the evaluation.

The main problem encountered here is that the data and information that formed the
bases of our evaluation may not be the most accurate nor the most reliable version. This
is where the importance of a proper and formal documentation will kick in, as it sets the
framework for the operational processes of the company. This also leaves no room for
interpretation for both internal executors and external recipients of the process. Moreover,
with proper documentation, the reliability of data/information can be assured, which is
used as basis to draw further conclusions, improvements and recommendations.

Team Cooperation

Cooperation in any team or organization is always advantageous, if not utmost necessary.


It improves overall performance and productivity. In a team, each member or unit is
responsible to give out their expected contributions for overall success. It is a combination
of strengths, which can also lead to minimizing individual weaknesses. In this case, the
strengths and weaknesses of team members can enhance and complement each other.
However, if other members in a team do not actively participate or are plainly passive and
remiss in their duties and responsibilities, it is positively certain for problems to arise.

As an operations manager, selecting team members should be given careful


consideration. The range of abilities, expertise, and personalities should result in a
desirable mix. This will help develop a team of like-minded people who are ready to work
together for a particular goal. Absent team cooperation, the goals and objectives will not
be reached, there will arise unfair load distribution and general work output will likely be
compromised.

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CHAPTER 8:
ANNEXES

Annex A – Organizational Structure

Annex B – Letter Request for Process Audit

Annex C – List of Personnel Interviewed/ Communicated With

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Annex A – Organizational Structure

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Annex B - Letter Request for Process Audit

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Annex C - List of Personnel Interviewed/ Communicated With

• Mr. Allen Kristian Vasquez


President

• Ms. Alexandria De Castro


OIC, Marketing & Customer Operations Dept.

• Ms. Tiffany Cher Cuevas


Manager, Multimedia & Design Dept.

• Ms. Jirell Gem M. Soldevilla


Team Leader, Marketing & Customer Operations Dept.

Contact Numbers

- 812-5155

- 812-5157

- 812-5159

- 812-5160

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