Introduction to the research paper of business process mapping (operations management) - Essay Example

Running Head: OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Operations Management & Business Process Mapping and Section # of Operations Management & Business Process MappingIn this era of modern trade and globalization, organizations and businesses face new challenges every passing instant. Those who get along are the ones who succeed and those who fail to evolve are the ones who lag behind. One of the most important of such modern business practices is Operations Management.Operations Management, in its very essence, refers to running the day to day business processes and transactions in the most effective and efficient manner in terms of time, price as well as quality.

(Greasley, 2009). It starts from acquiring raw materials, employees and other resources, developing them according to the organization’s needs and utilizing them as effectively and efficiently possible for the organization. (Brown et al, 2001). Operations management is a very broad segment of the organization and covers many areas including costing, manufacturing and supervising. (Stevenson, 2008).No matter the business falls in the category of service industry, manufacturing industry or a combination of both, operations management is nevertheless an essential ingredient for its success.

(Jacka and Keller, 2009). However, there might be a drastic difference in the operations management of any two given organizations depending upon the nature of the business and the way the companies operate. (Brown et al, 2001). In case of a manufacturing organization, the operations manager is expected to take care of every single step involved in manufacturing the end-product starting right from the purchase of raw materials and hiring of human resource. (Greasley, 2009). In terms of a service-oriented firm, operations management would mean taking care of each and every step related to delivering the service to the customer and maintaining the flow of processes within the organization.

(Stevenson, 2008).In today’s business environment, a successful organization either has an operations management section in its hierarchy or it would outsource such processes to the professional operations management firms present in the market since without it, keeping track of constantly evolving business practices is next to impossible and the business is likely to fail. (Brown et al, 2001).One of the most important aspects of operations management is Business Process Mapping. In order to maintain effectiveness and efficiency in the business processes and to keep track of the developments and procedures, the operations manager needs to lay device a tool to map the operations and processes.

(Page, 2010). This tool is called Business Process Mapping. It tracks down what needs to be done in how much time, what are the resources and services needed to complete it within that allocated amount of time, how much is actually being accomplished and how much is the company lagging behind on targets. In other words, it maps down all the activities related to a particular project and helps the manager coordinate accordingly. (Jacka and Keller, 2009).There are four basic steps involved in business process mapping.

Firstly, there is ‘process identification’. The manager needs to define all the processes in detail and explain it to everyone who is involved in accomplishing the tasks. (Miller et al, 2010). If everyone is on the same page right from the beginning, completing the processes effectively on time becomes easier. Secondly, there is ‘information gathering’. Once the processes have been identified properly, it is very important to gather all the necessary information required to carry out the task.

(Miller et al, 2010). Everyone needs to be clear on who is responsible for what and what exactly has to be done so that nobody can put the blame on someone else. This makes everyone’s lives easier and everything is done on time. Only after this comes the third step, i.e. ‘Process Mapping’. In this process, the manager individually discusses with every employee involved regarding his role in the task making every little detail clear on paper to avoid any future inconvenience. (Page, 2010).

The manager can use the sticky-note method for this purpose in which every sub-task is defined on a sticky note and a series of sticky-note stuck on a timeline describes the entire task to be performed. (Miller et al, 2010). Another way of doing it is through flow-charts or a timeline diagrams. (Jacka and Keller, 2009). The last step is the ‘Analysis’ of the entire process while it occurs. It is a real-time analysis of all the tasks being performed as they are carried out in order to ensure everything is being done correctly on time.

(Miller et al, 2010).Of late, business process mapping is being used everywhere in the organizations be it any industry. In the manufacturing industry, it helps in efficient production of goods while in service industry, it helps laydown the processes for effective customer service. (Page, 2010). At restaurants, perfect recipes can be created within the least possible time frame to provide the customers with great food which is fresh and healthy. At hospitals, business process mapping ensures proper and timely treatment to the patients while at schools, it helps the management and the teachers come together to provide quality education.

REFERENCESBrown, S. Blackmon, K.; Cousins, P. (2001). Operations management: policy, practice and performance improvement. Butterworth-Heinemann.Greasley, A. (2009). Operations Management. John Wiley & Sons.Jacka, K. M.; Keller, P. J. (2009). Business Process Mapping: Improving Customer Satisfaction. John Wiley & Sons.Miller, F. P.; Vandome, A. F.; McBrewster, J. (2010). Business Process Mapping. VDM Publishing House Ltd.Page, S. (2010). The power of business process improvement: 10 simple steps to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and adaptability.

AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.Stevenson, W. J. (2008). Operations Management. McGraw Hill Irwin.