TUF International Programs

Higher National Diploma Business

Unit # 26: Principles of Operations Management
● Introduction to the unit’s content and Unit Assignments.
Scheme of Work
Session
Week Minutes Number LO Topic ● What
Sample is meant by Opeartions
Activities
Management ?

1 120 1 1 Introduction to the Unit’s Content

and Assessment

Operations Management in ● Definition of ‘operations’ and ‘operations management’.

1 120 2 1
Context 1 Evolution of operations management from craft to mass
production to mass customisation to agile and lean.

Operations Management in ● The role and function of operations management in an

2 120 3 1 Context 2 organisation and across the value chain, e.g. planning,
organising, co-ordinating and controlling resources.

● The strategic, tactical and operational perspectives of

Operations Management in operations management and its contribution to achieving
2 120 4 1 Context 3 organisational objectives.
● Scope of operations management, including relevance to
public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Operations Management in Career opportunities and roles in operations management, e.g.

3 120 5 1 Operations Manager, Logistics Manager, Supply Chain
Context 4
Specialist, Operations Analyst.

Skills and competences required:

Operations Management in ● soft skills, e.g. logical approach, quality conformance,
3 120 6 1 Context 5 communication skills and ethical awareness
● technical skills, e.g. collaborative planning and forecasting,
assessing and prioritising risks, business continuity planning
and mitigation, integrating and improving systems
technologies.

Operations Management in ● Transformational model of the organisation: input-

4 120 7 1 Context 6 transformation-outputs.
● Dimensions of operations processes, e.g. volume, variety,
variation and visibility.

Operations Management in ● External influences on contemporary operations

4 120 8 1 Context 7 management, including PESTLE factors, globalisation,
sustainability.
● Global and ethical sourcing of suppliers and supplies.

Design and Management of ● Operations and supply chain management

5 120 9 1 Supply Chain Networks 1 interdependencies.
● Types of supply chain relationships, including length,
breadth, depth.
● Types of supply chain networks in manufacturing, services,
retail, construction and public sector supply chains.

Design and Management of ● The impact of operations management on global sourcing

5 120 10 1 Supply Chain Networks 2 and criteria for selecting appropriate suppliers on basis of
efficiency, effectiveness, networks, Just-in-Time (JIT)
capabilities.

Design and Management of

6 120 11 1 ● Benefits and risks of deploying technology to drive efficient,
Supply Chain Networks 3
effective, sustainable and profitable operations.

Design and Management of ● The impact of internet-based technologies and the use of
6 120 12 1 Supply Chain Networks 4 database information systems to manage expenditures on
goods and services.

● Performance objectives of operations management, e.g.

7 120 13 2 Performance Measurement 1 quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost.
● Setting performance targets.

7 120 14 2 Performance Measurement 2 ● Defining performance metrics, including financial, customer

satisfaction, employee satisfaction, productivity, response rate.

● Balanced Scorecard approach to performance measurement:

8 120 15 2 Performance Measurement 3 financial, customer, internal processes and learning and
growth.
8 120 16 2 Techniques and Frameworks 1 ● Control systems and their link to the operational function.
● Different types of control systems, to include capacity
planning and control, inventory planning and control and
supply chain planning and control.

● Building a culture of continuous improvement and total

9 120 17 2 Techniques and Frameworks 2 quality improvement.
● Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) to radically redesign
core business processes to achieve productivity and quality
improvements.

● Cost-benefit analysis for justification of operational decisions,

9 120 18 2 Techniques and Frameworks 3 systems or projects.
● Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, Organised (VRIO) framework
analysis identifying the source of competitive advantage for the
organisation.

10 120 19 2 Techniques and Frameworks 4 ● Benefits of benchmarking for improving organisational

performance, e.g. cost position, gaining strategic advantage
and increase organisational learning.

The Impact of Technology on ● Applications of technologies to drive performance, e.g. cloud

10 120 20 2 computing, mobile telecommunications, remote working,
Operations Management 1
convergence of technology platforms.

The Impact of Technology on ● Use of software and cloud-based systems, e.g. Enterprise
11 120 21 2 Operations Management 2 Resource Planning systems (ERP), Supply Chain Management
(SCM), New Product Development (NPD) and Customer
Relationship Management (CRM).

Role of Total Quality Management

11 120 22 3 in Operations Management 1 ● Quality and continuous improvement as a philosophy
(Kaizen) and approach.
● Differences between total quality and quality assurance.

● Pioneers of total quality management such as Deming (plan-

Role of Total Quality Management do-check-act) and Juran e.g. quality planning-quality control-
12 120 23 3 in Operations Management 2 quality improvement.
● Role of information technologies and software in supporting
continuous quality improvement

Approaches to total quality management:

Role of Total Quality Management ● Just-in-Time (JIT), lean
12 120 24 3 in Operations Management 3 ● quality circles
● statistical process control
● process architecture.

● Product quality and process quality improvement in relation

Continuous Quality Improvement to compliance to requirements, specifications and customer
13 120 25 3
in Practice 1 expectations compared to process efficiency.
● Diagnosing quality problems and reducing errors using
statistical process control.

● Reasons for variations in product quality process quality.

Continuous Quality Improvement ● The Taguchi Loss Function, Poka-yoke and the Six Sigma
13 120 26 3 in Practice 2 approach to quality improvement.
● Quality improvement as a cross-organisational activity and
not simply as an independent function.

● Conducting a risk analysis at the operational, tactical and

strategic level.
14 120 27 4 Risk Analysis and Management ● Exploring risk analysis options, e.g. avoid, reduce, transfer,
accept.
● The use of risk management standards and benchmarks.
● A strategic risk analysis as a systematic and continual process
for assessing the most significant operational risks facing the
organisation.

Managing Uncertainties and

14 120 28 4 Potential Threats 1 ● Extending the use of PEST and SWOT to develop contingency
plans and strategies to mitigate negative consequences.
15 120 29 4 Managing Uncertainties and ● Use of risk identification and mapping to support risk
Potential Threats 2 assessment and the prioritisation of responses.
 Stakeholder Analysis and ● The relationship between stakeholders and risk, particularly
15 120 30 4
Expectations investors, suppliers and customers.
Assessor Signature: __________________ HOS Signature: __________________________
Internal Verifier Signature: __________________ Approval Date: ________________________
 Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Analyse the effectiveness of operations management
in contributing to organisational objectives across a wide
range of organisations and sectors D1 Justify the impact of
effective operations
management and the use of
M1 Critically analyse the operational techniques on
P1 Analyse the role and relationship between achieving objectives in
effectiveness of operations effective operations complex and dynamic trading
management across a range management and the environments, making valid
of sectors to meet different achievement of tactical and recommendations and
organisational objectives. strategic business solutions.
P2 Discuss the contribution objectives.
of effective supply chains to
the organisation.

LO2 Apply a range of techniques and analysis frameworks

used by operations managers to support decision making
and address problems D2 Critically evaluate, giving
evidence-based
recommendations, different
P3 Devise solutions to given M2 Evaluate different techniques and frameworks
operations management techniques and analysis used by operations managers
problems using a range of frameworks used by operations to solve complex problems and
techniques and analysis managers to drive organisational
frameworks. solve problems and achieve performance.
P4 Appraise the use of digital high operational performance.
technologies for effective
operational performance.

LO3 Apply the concept of continuous quality improvement

in an operational context D3 Produce a continuous
quality improvement plan,
underpinned by theoretical
P5 Evaluate a range of M3 Critique a range of total concepts, that justifies
approaches to continuous quality management approaches and solutions,
quality improvement. approaches and techniques with reference to costs,
P6 Prepare a continuous within the continuous benefits and sustainable
improvement plan based on improvement plan in order performance.
operational activities in an to achieve organisational
organisation. objectives.
LO4 Conduct a strategic risk analysis (SRA) on the
operations functions of an organisation.
D4 Critically evaluate the
significance of strategic risk
P7 Discuss the role and M4 Assess a range of analysis for organisations
importance of SRA for an contingency plans and operating in diverse and
organisation. strategies available to the complex environments.
P8 Undertake a SRA for an organisation as it seeks to
organisation using risk manage organisational and
identification and mapping. stakeholder risk.