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Subject: Improve productivity, manage costs & enhance
quality
Class Time:
3 Days
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Objectives
Program
Description
Schedule
Visit the
Managing Operations website for additional information
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Managing Operations incorporates the best of proven production management
techniques into a program designed to teach operations managers how to
apply them to their own real-world situations. Successful managers must
know their operations – workflow, volumes, production rates, error
rates, expenses – in order to maximize the quality and productivity of
their human and machine resources. This program teaches participants how
to pro-actively manage quality, productivity and unit cost in the
back-office environment.
No one needs to convince you that results-oriented management is the key
to success in today’s competitive business environment.
To control costs and improve productivity, financial services
companies have been focusing on technology and consolidation of
operations. These efforts
usually yield positive short-term results, but fail to address the most
critical factor in productivity improvement – teaching managers
quantitative techniques needed to fully utilize their human resources.
Human resources
represent the largest single expense item in most back office operations.
Managing those resources with the most effective techniques
available should be our highest priority; it usually is not.
For nearly two
decades, FTP has been presenting a program called “Managing
Operations”. This program
is designed to teach operations managers practical “engineering”
skills that apply to their world. We
concentrate on three main process variables:
productivity, quality and controls.
A key result of the program is the understanding that successful
management of the process variables is achieved through effective
management of human resources.
We have frequently
delivered this program both domestically and internationally to many of
the nation’s most success organizations including:
Dell Computer, AT&T, Allstate Insurance, Prudential, Citibank,
Capital One, Wachovia, Bank One, GE Capital and Bank of America.
The concepts taught in Managing Operations are equally applicable
to call center operations, fulfillment processing, remittance processing,
and other back office operations.
FTP’s goal is to
achieve permanent change for our clients.
Program participants do not need any special background or
experience. We have taught
newly hired managers with little or no operations background to set
production and quality standards, to maintain them, and to change them
when needed.
Business
has spent billions of dollars on technology and office automation in the
hope of improving productivity. Perhaps
now it’s time to invest some money where it will do the most long-term
good -- developing the management skills of those who run the process.
Contact FTP Consulting Services, Inc.
and schedule a
Managing Operations session today.
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Objectives:
The
objective of this program is to give operations managers at all
organizational levels the skills and tools necessary to manage unit cost
and, therefore, budgets in their areas of responsibility through an
understanding of fundamental operations management principles.
The expectation is that they will then be accountable for the
financial performance of their operating unit(s). Other objectives
include:
- Forecasting volumes,
expenses and production backlogs
- Development and
implementation of capacity plans
- Setting realistic
production standards
- Establishing
measurable standards for accuracy and timeliness
- Using quantitative
feedback to "coach" your staff
- Understanding and
managing unit cost
- Developing meaningful
operations reports
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Program Description:
Managing
Operations is an intensive, three-day program that teaches
participants to manage to budgets through an understanding of forecasting,
productivity measurement and management, capacity planning for staffing
needs and unit cost management.
Topics covered include:
- Volume forecasting using historical data
- The relationship between volume and productivity
- Identifying poor productivity performance
- Quantitative productivity measures and feedback methods
- The impact of learning curves on productivity
- Line balancing between operations units
- Variable staffing options
- Building an effective staffing plan based on unit cost performance
- Quality measurement and management
- Measuring performance in terms of budget and unit cost
Format
- Managing
Operations utilizes three learning methods:
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Lecture/Discussion sessions to gain a solid understanding of basic
operations management concepts.
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A
computer simulation that allows participants to practice what they are learning
each day.
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Presentations put together by participant teams to foster teamwork
and group learning
and problem solving.
Logistics
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Managing
Operations is designed
as a three-day workshop. Daily
sessions typically run from 8:00 to 5:30 or 6:00, possibly longer on the
first two days. The standard session accommodates fifteen students.
Up to five additional students can be added for a nominal
incremental fee. The minimum
number of participants required for a session is six.
Experience
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FTP’s
consultants, each with over twenty years of operations experience, are
qualified and available to conduct Managing Operations courses.
FTP has presented operations management training and consulting
services to companies nationwide since 1986.
Clients include: First Bank System, Norwest, AT&T Universal Card Services,
First Union Bank, BankAmerica, First Premier Bank, ANZ Bank – Melbourne,
Australia, GE Capital, Vital Processing Services, TAWPI, Prudential,
Allstate Insurance, BankOne, Associates National Bank, Bank of New York,
Regulus, Capital One, Wachovia, Capitol One, Michigan National Bank,
Citicorp Savings, First National Bank of Omaha, Citibank – Japan, and
U.S. Bancorp.
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Schedule:
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Day 1
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Contents
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8:00 - 12:00
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Forecasting:
Using
historical data to forecast workload and production hours required.
Productivity: Pacing,
Parkinson’s Law, the relationship between volume and productivity.
Variable staffing options, identifying poor performance, analyzing
performance problems, performance feedback methods.
Process Variables: Discussion of the major impacts on any
process – volume, staff, time of input, training, learning curves,
quality, line balancing, etc.
All of the above impact the basic measure of management performance
– unit cost.
Unit cost is the most effective way to measure any process, and this
concept is discussed in detail.
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12:00 - 1:00
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Lunch
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1:00 - 5:30?
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Simulation Exercise #1:
Introduction
of the students to the workshop problem and Day #1 exercise.
Students divided into teams. Team
analysis of workload, production standards and daily capacity plan for three
linear production operations for Month 1.
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Day 2
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Contents
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8:00 - 12:00
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Forecasting:
Using
historical data to forecast workload and production hours required.
Productivity: Pacing,
Parkinson’s Law, the relationship between volume and productivity.
Variable staffing options, identifying poor performance, analyzing
performance problems, performance feedback methods.
Process Variables: Discussion of the major impacts on any
process – volume, staff, time of input, training, learning curves,
quality, line balancing, etc.
All of the above impact the basic measure of management performance
– unit cost.
Unit cost is the most effective way to measure any process, and this
concept is discussed in detail.
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12:00 - 1:00
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Lunch
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1:00 - 5:30
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Simulation Exercise #2:
The
second month in the simulation is the lowest volume month of the year.
Participants again prepare a daily capacity plan and financial
forecast for each of three production areas.
Placement of the lowest volume month next to the highest volume month
severely taxes the participant’s strategic plans.
Review of Results from Exercise #2: Computer-generated
report (MIS) of the results of each team’s second month’s capacity
planning and financial planning performance is returned to participants for
analysis and review.
Simulation Exercise #3: If sufficient progress is made
teams begin exercise #3.
The third month of the simulation represents an average production
volume month for the year.
At this point, the model should be well understood.
People do get sick; people quit.
We have employee crises when staff is required to work excessive
overtime.
The ratio of supervisors to associates impacts productivity.
Exercise 3 tests the participants’ understanding of the basic
concepts involved in the Managing Operations.
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Day 3
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Contents
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8:00 - 12:00
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Review
of Results from Exercise #3: Computer-generated report (MIS) of
the results of each team’s third month’s capacity planning and financial
planning performance is returned to participants for analysis and review.
Teams Prepare Presentations for Their Supervisors: The
teams now have detailed information for a full quarter – January, February
and March: they understand unit cost; have an established budget for the
rest of the year; can forecast production volumes; and the variable staff
they brought on should be well-trained.
Team members have developed an understanding of key quality issues.
In other words, we have all the material required for a quarterly
review and preparation of a full-year financial forecast.
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12:00 - 1:00
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Lunch
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1:00 - 4:00
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Team Presentations to Senior Management:
For
this portion of the session, we urge attendance by the program
participants’ supervisors, managers and any interested senior management.
The value of such involvement is obvious.
It testifies to the fact that effective production management is
important. The presentations
are also good practice and exposure for the participants.
Finally, it offers opportunity for senior managers to develop
dialogue and commitment for improvement from participants.
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