OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Managing Operational Activities to Achieve Business Results

Introduction1

Operations management & functions for business operations1

Business processes in delivering outcomes based upon business goals and objectives2

Transformation process within BMW2

Output of the process and the quality gateways4

Plans for own areas of responsibility for managing business activities7

SMART objectives for BMW7

Systems to be used8

Project planning model9

Monitoring appropriate systems to improve organisational performance9

Quality management systems9

Total Quality Management (TQM)10

Managing health and safety in the workplace11

Health & Safety within BMW11

Hazards & risk management within BMW12

Conclusion13

References14

Managing Operational Activities to Achieve Business Results

Introduction

BMW is one of the best car manufacturers known for its quality and innovative products that surpasses those manufactured by the competitors. This report aims to analyse the operational management activities as they contribute to the performance of business process and operations. This report discusses in detail various aspects related to the operations management in BMW. It mainly focuses on improving the quality within BMW organisation. The report document various concepts and literature in proposing various recommendations related to quality improvement and operations management within BMW.

Operations management & functions for business operations

Any business organisation consists of a number of different functions and departments. Operations is one of those significant functions. Operations is that division that is responsible for the production of goods and services in that organisation any business organisation. Whereas the operations function in an organisation produces goods and services, it needs the assistance and feedback from other departments and functions of the company. Any organisation whether large or small scale has three primary functional departments, that is operations, marketing & finance (Stevenson, 2007, pp.04).

Operations management can be defined as the procedure whereby sources, flowing within a described and definite system, are assimilated and modified by a managed way to add value in compliance with guidelines conveyed by management (Kumar & Suresh, 2009, pp.09). Operations management comprises of a number of functional areas which contribute in the business operations of any organisation. These functions include inventory management, production planning and scheduling, quality assurance and improvement, procurement, logistics and forecasting. For an organisation like BMW, the two significant functions which contribute towards the business operations are procurement & quality assurance functions (Greasley, 1999).

The functional areas of procurement and quality assurance are significant to the business operations. These functions are also interrelated with each other. In order to ensure quality and deliver supreme product with best quality, the organisation must have the best procurement. Unless and until best procurement is done, best quality cannot be ensured. Procurement plays a momentous role in facilitating the organisation to achieve its goals. In a fast pace business environment like today, the organisations are continuously faced with the unanticipated changes. Proper procurement function and practices help the organisations to plan and be ready for the future changes (KMPG, 2012, pp.02). Quality assurance on the other hand helps an organisation to ensure that the quality standards are met in terms of products or services delivered (ODOT, n.d., pp.03). Both of these functions complement each other in helping the business operation effectively and achieve its wider ...