Analysis of Mosaic Quality Control at Nidum
Introduction
Briefly explain the environment and competitive priorities of the operation. You might want to use a performance objectives map showing required and actual performance, as well as perhaps the performance of comparable / competing processes. Keep it brief. You have done this kind of thing before in the group-work, so you are not going to get many marks for this section. The introduction has got to do a practical job of work, but should do so using, where possible Operations Management frameworks, language etc. The introduction has to quickly inform the reader about the operations’ task. A four V’s diagram might be useful in some circumstances, but probably is over the top. Briefly explain the operations challenges or problems that you are going to analyse. Why is the operation of interest? Don’t provide loads of background information; it earns few marks.
Methodology
What theory, tools, techniques and concepts are you going to apply in your analysis, and why? The theory needs to be appropriate for analysis of the operations issues of interest. You do not need to justify process mapping per se, as it is a requirement of the brief that you create a process map. However, there are many different types of process map and you should justify your choice amongst these options. As you are going to go to a lot of trouble to create a decent process map, then do try to use it, and in this section, you explain how you will use the process map.
The method section also briefly explains how you will apply your selected Operations Management material. You do not need to repeat back a lot of theory … sections of my notes, the textbook etc. If you do so you will earn hardly any marks from this repetition. At Masters level we expect you to go beyond the module and do some wider reading in the Operations Management journals. If you discover some bit of Operations Management theory outside the mainstream that you want to apply in your work, great. As long as it is Operations Management, and not marketing, economics etc, then fine.