Strategic Operations Management and Operational

Research (PS4S26-V2-22853)

Summative Assignment 1 PART A & B:

Reflective Analysis of Strategic Operations Management and

the Importance of Project Management Skill in Operations
and the wider Organizational Environment

Word Count (excluding Reference): 5,345

By Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830)

Course Tutor: Dr Rajeev K Bali

February, 2021
 ABSTRACT

This essay discusses an end of module assessment for on strategic operations

management and operational research. It consists of two parts which are ‘reflective
learning and critical analysis for a position of operations manager.

The essay critically reflects on my learning outcome from this module, with particular
focus on how the module has enhanced my knowledge of operations management and
enabled me to strengthen and expand on a skill of my own choosing; Project
Management. Although project management is broad in scope and involves other sub
skills, the application of different learning approaches, my skill has improved
considerably through in the course of this module, helping me to critically evaluate and
improve the process of operations, and leveraging the project management tools and
methods to achieve operational efficiency.

On the other hand, Part B of this paper attempts to use the knowledge and I have
gathered from this Course to analyze a job vacancy for the position of an operations
manager which I have attached (see References). I focused on analyzing operational
challenges that the successful candidate would face in the course of his work. A couple
of challenges have been analyzed and I proposed some solutions to mitigate these
challenges.

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 1

CONTENTS

ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................... 1
CONTENTS ................................................................................................................... 2
Summative Assignment PART A ................................................................................... 3
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 3
2. Skill Development ...................................................................................................... 3
3. How I plan To Harness The Project Management Skill ........................................... 4
4. General Approach to Project Management ............................................................. 4
6. Project’s main stages .............................................................................................. 6
5. Critical success factors............................................................................................ 6
7. Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 8
8. Referencing ............................................................................................................. 9
Summative Assignment PART B: ................................................................................ 11
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 12
2. Role of an operations manager ............................................................................. 13
3. Expected challenges ............................................................................................. 15
4. Analysis and Discussions on Operational Challenges Relevant to this Job .......... 15
5. Documentation and Reporting............................................................................... 16
6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 16

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 2

 Summative Assignment PART A

1. Introduction

This module focuses on explaining the different operational processes, methods,

planning and management procedures with the aim of developing student’s
understanding and skill in strategic operations. In addition, this course is centers on
researching operational management. According to Khodabakhshi et al. (2013, pp. 1-2),
operational research includes leveraging different and advanced analytical process for
the purpose of better decision making.

In the words of (Heagney, 2012:11), project management can be described as a skill

that can be applied across multiple levels and various organizations and situations. For
this purpose of this study, I understand that "project management" as a skill is critical
and very important in ensuring project performance, furthermore my rationale for this
choice of skill as an area for requiring enhancement during the course is also largely
based on both my role as a project manager and to better position me for advancement
in my career, hence Project Management becomes a requisite learning area for me in
this module.

Project Management, according to Van den Broucke (2011), connotes the abilities,
expertise, experience, knowledge, tools and procedures required to carry out or
implement a project successfully. This goes a long way to show that Project
Management is a skill that encompasses several other techniques and methods.
Notably, aside from project implementation, Project Management is also about value
creation (Cameron & Green, 2015:256). The idea is that Project Management is not just
a systematic way of achieving projects and goals but that there is a form of management
interaction between the environment, the organization, the project and the people.

Project Management is a skill that embodies other skills such as technical skills, defining
dependencies and critical path analysis, work planning and work breakdown structures,
risk management and goal setting. Cowie (2003). For the purpose of this paper I will be
drawing from a pool of secondary sources and explain how this can be successfully
aligned with the learning process and knowledge gathered from this module for further
developing a project management skill.

2. Skill Development

Skill development and continual capacity building has become critical in for efficiency. It
has therefore become imperative to adapt, thrive and prosper in core skill areas. This is
also founded in the current era where the ability of dealing and adapting with uncertainty
and disruptive changes is essential. In addition to the need to maintain intellectual
consciousness in your functional area, a professional must continually research the
career eco-system. The need to continually evolve skills and attitudes to enable
adaptation has become unavoidable. (Mishra 2017) further more to refer to the
productive abilities acquired by all levels of learning, the development of skills is widely
used, training takes place in formal, non-formal, casual and on-the-job settings. This
helps individuals to become more productive and to have the opportunity to change
these skills in order to suit the evolving economic conditions and possibilities (SIDA
2018)

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 3. How I Plan to Harness the Project Management Skill

Having described the concept of "project management and Skill Development" and what
was necessary for more productive project management, I decided to concentrate on
the following concept.

1. I will leverage the Project Management approaches and methods to define the general
conceptual basis of the project organization.

2. The project management approach proposes approaching operational management

from an activity planning approach, with a bird’s eye view on work breakdowns, scoping,
resource allocation, budgeting and implementation control.

3. Critical progress indicators makes it possible to objectively rvaluate project objectives

and milestones, allowing the project manager to recalibrate, realign or augment project
variables where such is required.

According to a survey conducted by Mir & Pinnington (2014: 202-217), 44. 9 percent of
a project’s success depends on the application of experience gained as a consequence
of studying and application of project management. The specific knowledge I seek to
gain in choosing project management as a study area is as follows:

 Analyzing the requisite knowledge.

 Transformation of knowledge into perception by means of reflective exercise.
 Application of acquired knowledge.

Posner (2009: 2) suggested that a good leader must have experience, for you can’t be
a good leader without experience, same goes for project management, you can’t know
if you are a good project manager until you have applied knowledge learnt. The reflective
analysis will also aid in carrying out a comprehensive review of the measures taken to
improve my project management skills and the degree to which my efforts were
successful.

4. General Approach to Project Management

Going by my earlier understanding of Project Management It is identification with the

scheme, consisting of a variety of services. This idea was born from a definition given
by Reisman &Oral, 2005:165) where they identified Project Management as a collection
of resources, including staff, materials, facilities and/or knowledge, that are coordinated
to perform specified functions in order to achieve desired results. However, more
research has proven that, Project Management is much more than that. Ackoff (1994)
said that the components of the system must be interconnected; therefore, when
describing a project, one should look for the relation between all variables required for
its actualization as well as its phasing.

Senge (2006:37) said with Project Management it is always better to see

interrelationships and foreseeing patterns of change rather than a stagnant point of view.
This means that all elements co-operate not only with each other, but with the
environment. Therefore, experience gained from the study of the works of those
researchers led me to believe that by cooperating with each other, any project can be
viewed as the context in which the results are given by all its components.

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 4

Using (Chan, 2001:32) Complex Adaptive System with the following characteristics:

I. The system is resilient to the changes within and outside;

II. Only by analyzing all its components, but not each of them individually, can the
system's actions be grasped.
III. The mechanism consists of a set of components placed together by sharing their
values, skills, goals.
IV. A lack of central control.
V. Feedback provided by the system.
VI. The system is dynamic; its internal components communicate with each other
and the environment.

The above stipulation by Chan but does not give room for a leader’s role so even if it
helped me see and understand Project Management from a different perspective there
is no leader in these systems. This is why Fullan (2005:44) posited that systems require
leaders who are trained to see things from a broader perspective and take on the system
as a whole. This position makes a lot of sense and is reiterated by Uhl-Bein’s (2007: vii)
who said that a leader’s role in complex systems is not top-down influence, but an
interactive process. Without mentioning a leader’s role in complex adaptive system
descriptions, these authors emphasize the need for a leader. The importance of a leader
cannot be overemphasized as a leader remains the main driver of an organizations
development (Aliekperov, 2017:14).

For projects to take place they must be divided into teams and teams are made up of
people and they are led/ driven by project leaders (Heagney, 2012:11). Project leaders
provide a sense of direction, they help to mitigate issues before they escalate, they hold
the reigns of the project and my view aligns with (Alekperov, 2016:46) where he says
the role of a leader is rather a general organization of the process, providing maximum
freedom to the people and it is this exact thought that found reflection in the adaptive
theory (Northouse, 2016:303-340).

(Northouse, 2016:303-340) says, when a complicated decision needs to be made

leaders collaborates with people/ teams to make the hard decision according to Adaptive
leadership theory the good leaders gives room for great performance and tackling of
complicated tasks. Combining aspects of Complex Adaptive System with Adaptive
Leadership Principles in understanding PM, the following should be done:

1. The leader give allowance for innovation and ideas from team but all work towards
the same purpose. The goal is to build a shared vision that allows staff to work
more effectively (Cameron & Green, 2015)
2. After mutually determining their roles, aim workers for full independent work.
3. Inspire the team to work individually and cooperate to solve tasks.
4. Defining stakeholders and their desires within and outside; providing the order for
cooperation with them.
5. Provide the workers with the requisite assistance only in the event of extremely
complex tasks.

All this will certainly increase the adaptability of the project to future changes within and
outside the environment and enable the leader to focus on essential tasks to the fullest.
A broadly practiced art and science is project management that is why; a leader must
decide himself which degree of control is required to more effectively pursue the
progress of the project. British Petroleum was one of the first companies to reorganize

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its structure according to complex adaptive system requirements (Grant&Jordan,
2016:321) so the complex adaptive system actually works. Complex adaptive system
principles can possibly also be generalized to a project when operating at the level of an
organization. There are also valid reasons for considering complex adaptive system
principles to be applied to Project Management.

6. Project’s Main Stages

The life cycle of project management is typically broken down into four stages: initiation,
preparation, execution, and termination. The route that takes your project from the start
to the end is made up of these steps. Moira Alexander encourages a conceptual change
from becoming a project "manager" to being a project "leader" instead of waiting to get
the project plan determined for you:

The further review revealed that the following project phases are mainly defined by
(Heagney,2012:15) as:

 Define the issue

 Develop choice of solution
 Planning the project
 Conduct the policy
 Control and track.

In order to start the project, this is a strategic point, as a "unique product or service"
must finally be created. (Van den Broucke, 2011) But a contemporary vision of the
outcome of a project (2015:256) presupposes, according to (2015:256), not only the
creation of products, but the creation of "value". From this point of view, Porter's (1985)
strategic strategy will need to be updated, as any competitive advantage must be
assessed if it adds value to the business.

The data on the LEAN approach seemed to be quite helpful here; it was studied during
the course (PS4S26, 2021). This approach is a collection of tools for value mapping
(Mascitelli, 2000). The subject matter lies in getting rid of anything that does not give the
business any extra value, such as stock reserves and the likes (PS4S26, 2021). The
project manager and its participants will obtain a range of tools with the aid of LEAN to
perform an expert investigation of favorable outcomes as an added benefit.

Having viewed the PS4S26 2021 video with great attention, with great attention, I
recognize that experts suggest not only sticking to LEAN, but adapting it to AGILE a
symbiosis. The interaction between individuals, collaboration with the user and the
development of the product that benefits consumers is the most important priority for
Agile (Stevenson, 2015:54). Agile, in general, is the development of a competitive
advantage. As both methods add value in the long run, I share this perspective.

5. Critical success factors

The study course presented very useful knowledge on Crucial Success Factors-CSF
(PS4S26, 2021). This allowed the results of the project to be taken into account in a
wider context than the outcome, providing an additional value (Cameron & Green,
2015:256).

Crucial success factors are the small number of areas in which the individual,

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 6

department or company can achieve good competitive output in acceptable results. The
few main areas where "things must go right for the business to succeed and for the
objectives of the manager to be accomplished are crucial success factors.

The additional independent research helped me to define the crucial success factors by
(Cameron & Green, 2015:252) which are:

I. Meeting performance, budget and timing criteria for business

II. Meeting user specifications as mapped out
III. Meeting external expectations of clients
IV. The expectations of the meeting board
V. Satisfaction of the end-user
VI. Satisfaction of the internal project team
VII. External satisfaction from the project team

The research showed that most researchers share the given set of factors and,
presumably, it is a general-service one (Steinfort & Walker, 2007). Crucial success
factors information offers essential expertise, the application of which can promote
greater progress in the project's implementation:

 Under its budget and terms, any project must be performed.

 Any project must comply with the desires of the key stakeholders.
 The final user must pay careful attention to the outcomes of the project.
 It is important to take the needs of the project team into account.

I have also come to the understanding on the basis of this experience that the
implementation of a project to optimum level requires perfect mastery of the
methodology of stakeholder analysis. The analysis allows the key stakeholders are to
be identified and the degree of their impact on the project to be assessed. “The process
of identifying the stakeholders of project takes place before the detailed planning stage
(Newton,2015:48, respectively). The study must therefore be carried out with all due
caution, as the project can affect the interests of different groups, and insufficient
consideration of this problem can have a negative effect on the project.

RACI Matrix

The understanding of various stakeholders and their respective roles on the project can
be assessed using a RACI Matrix. According to Mohamed A.I. A et al (2016), RACI
Matrix is a method used for the identification of key work streams and corresponding
roles in the projects. Also known as “Responsibility Charting”, the RACI Matrix allows
the project manager to identify respective shareholders, both passive and active. To
implement a project successfully, the RACI matrix helps manage stakeholders that are
responsible, accountable, consulted and informed as follows:

Responsible; these are stakeholders whom are primarily responsible for project
implementation such as the project manager.

Accountable; these are stakeholders who are ultimately accountable for the decision or
the outcome of the project such as the project director.

Consulted; these are stakeholders that must be consulted and position taking into
account before decision can be made.

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Informed: these are stakeholders that who must be kept informed about decisions and
action as they are taken and as the project progresses.

Stakeholder Motivation

This paper those not dive deeply into the aspect of stakeholder motivation, but motivation
is no doubt a critical factor in our analysis. According to Schmid & Adams (2008: 60), "a
key aspect of a successful project is project motivation". Here, one must be guided, first
of all, by the propositions of two theories; The two-factor motivation model of Herzberg
and the aim-setting theory of Latham and Locke (Armstrong & Stephens, 2007:71-86).

The first principle reminds us of the need for a concrete reward, the second of the need
to drive work force efficiency with transparent and realistic goals. It is important to note
that complex adaptive system targets should not be set, but addressed on a collective
basis, based on the adaptive theory of leadership. It can be concluded that work force
can work more efficiently in such a situation, since a joint target conversation makes the
goals more understandable, enabling the staff to feel their connection with the creation
of the goals.

7. Conclusion

The way forward:

1. The further implementation in my practical work of the information gained.

2. Writing an article describing the benefits of crucial success factors in project
management and adaptive leadership theory. The article will be based on concepts
from Fullan (2005). Fullan (2005:38) states that "new theoreticians" who could
propose a "workable approach" need the world today. My article will therefore be
based on basic and comprehensible concepts, concentrating on their practical
implementation.

This module has further broadened my knowledge and understanding in strategic

operations management and I would put to use all of this in my role as a project manager.
Project management remains a core part of my function and I am glad to have been able
to harness that knowledge during my course of writing this assessment.

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8. Referencing

 Ackoff, Russell (1994), “Systems thinking and thinking systems”

available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sdr.4260100206/full

 Aliekperov, Adyl (2017), “The empirical verification of the «Universal

model of inspiration (UMI)", [Online] available at
https://www.academia.edu/34040808/The_empirical_verification_of_the_Univer
sal_model_of_inspiration_UMI_

 Alekperov, Adil “Leadership formula”, [e-book reader] available at

https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-formula-Adil-Alekperov-
ebook/dp/B01N9JUTNT,

 Cameron, Esther and Green, Mike (2015) “Making sense of change

management”, London: Kogan page

 Chan, Serena (2001), “Complex Adaptive Systems”, [Online]

available at
http://web.mit.edu/esd.83/www/notebook/Complex%20Adaptive%20Systems.pd
f

 Cowie, G. (2003) The Importance of People Skills for Project Managers.

Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol 35, 6/7

 Grant, Robert and Jordan, Judith (2016) “Foundations of strategy”, London:

 Mir, F. and Pinnington, A. (2014). “Exploring the Value of Project

Management: Linking Project Management Performance and Project
Success”. International Journal of Project Management

 Mohamed A.I. AlFaki, Omnya Ali, Abdelelah Elgasim Babiker, Ashraf Osman
Ibrahim (May 2016), “Agile RACI Model for Extreme Programming Method”:
International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software
Engineering: Volume 6, Issue 5. Available online at:
http://www.ijarcsse.com/index.php/ijarcsse

 Newton, Paul (2015). “Managing a project team”, [e-book reader]

available at www.free-management-ebooks.com

 Posner, Barry (2009:2). “From Inside Out: Beyond Teaching About

Leadership”, Journal of Leadership Education Volume 8, Issue 1 – Summer
2009

 Reisman, A. & Oral, M. (2005). “Soft Systems Methodology: A Context within a

50-Year Retrospective of OR/MS”, Interfaces

 Sage Heagney, Joseph (2012). “Fundamentals of Project Management”, New

xYork: American Management Association Manchester University, .“Stakeholder
Analysis toolkit “,[Online] available at
https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/media/mmuacuk/content/documents/bit/Stakeholder-

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 9

 analysis-toolkit-v3.pdf

 Schmid, Bernhard and Adams, Johnatan, (2008). “Motivation in Project

Management: The Project Manager’s Perspective”, [Online] available
at
https://wiki.rit.edu/download/attachments/.../project+managment+motivation.pdf

 Steinfort, Paul and Walker, Derek (2007) “Critical Success Factors In

Project Management Globally And How They May Be Applied To Aid Projects”
[Online] available
athttp://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/view/rmit:10990/n2006006911.pdf,

 Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (2018) Green

Information Brief Biodiversity and HRBA skill development
https://publikationer.sida.se/contentassets/71147e904b194e3a9345b3b2d84391
f5/information_brief_skills_development_webb.pdf

 Sweta Mishra (2017) What Skill Development Really Means and Why It’s
Important for Success, https://www.upgrad.com/blog/what-skill-development-
really-means-and-why-its-important-for-success/

 Uhl-Bien, Marion (2007). “Complexity Leadership”, 5Charlotte: Information Age

Publishing

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 10

 SUMMATIVE ASSIGNMENT PART B:

A Critical Examination of the Role of an Operation Manager

ABSTRACT

This essay requires the discussion of a Job Description for an advertised Operation
Manager role applying theories, literature, techniques and approaches encountered in
the module. Particularly the essay will discuss the likely operational challenges that the
successful candidate would face and such challenges may be addressed.

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 11

 1. Introduction

Operations is a combination of tasks that originates from producing products and

delivering these products to the end user (Wolniak et al., 2017). Operations management
is the administration within an organization of organizational procedures to create the
highest possible degree of efficiency in order to maximize the profit of a company, it is
about converting capital and labor into goods and services as efficiently as possible.

According to a paper written in (Wiley.com) Operations Management (OM) is the

business feature that schedules, organizes, coordinates, and regulates the necessary
resources to produce the products and services of an organization. Management of
operations is a feature of management. It includes handling persons, facilities,
Technology, data, and many other properties. Both manufacturing and service
companies are expected to build competitive operating strategies in the current dynamic
and complex market in order to gain sustainable competitive advantages based on the
organizational capital of the business.

The Function of Operations Management in the organization

The operations management function is core to an organization as it involves the

management of resources which are used to for production of goods and services which
form the basis for remaining a going concern (Nigel S. et al, 2010). Operations
management is among three main functions of an organization namely;

 Marketing/ business development function – this function is saddled with the duty to
project the products and services of the organization to the market and ensure
patronage.
 Development of the organization’s product or service – this function leads the
development of fresh products/ services and innovation with view of continual
expansion of customer base for the organization
 Client interface function – this function is charged with managing customer’s
experience with the organization’s product/ services and ensuring customer
satisfaction.

The operations management function also involved oversight over support function
which are critical to ensuring efficient operations of core organizational functions. Such
support functions include:

 Finance management – this function is responsible for financial and accounting

direction for a n organization, including the management of the financial resources in
organizational operations;
 Human resources management – this arm of operation leads the management of
human capital for the organization including recruitments, staff compensation,
capacity building and overall welfare

The broad nature of the operations management function exposes operations managers
to a range of challenges because of internal and external influences, such as shifting
business requirements and rivals' operational efficiency.

This paper focuses on a critical analysis of the following Job vacancy of an operations
manager attached in the appendix with specific responsibilities as follows:

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 12

  Establish and maintain business standards for accuracy, productivity and reliability
 Manage the daily functions of the business
 Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual performance review and reevaluate
processes
 Ensure regulatory, compliance and legal rules are followed
 Manage budget to align with goals of business
 Assisting in gathering and unifying all teams.
 Provide solutions, action plan, projected result and expected impact for all problems
or challenges that may arise.
 Manage individual/team performance by establishing weekly operating objectives
for key employees/teams with end of week reviews.
 Project planning and management.

This essay will focus on anticipated challenges the operations manager may encounter,
the report will highlight strategic and institutional problems as well as major external
challenges and suggest strategies for productive activities. We would be using this ad
as a case study for this paper, from the job description; I was drawn to this ad because
it aligns with my project management experience.

For the purpose of this study I will be drawing from a pool of personal experience,
secondary data and materials from this module.

2. Role of an operations manager

In understanding the job vacancy, we have to first understand the general expectations
of an operations manager. (Pacana et al., 2014) stipulated that Operations management
focuses on transforming inputs into outputs using different resource types. (Kumar et al.,
2009): went further to say that we can also distinguish eight activities of operation
management as:

 Industry location
 Factory layouts and Raw material control,
 Product design
 planning and management of production
 Quality check,
 Material management,
 overseeing Maintenance.

Other roles of Operations Manager include:

1. The Operations Manager would be able to analyze all facets of the business and
calculate whether proposals are practically viable or not. To bring some
information into effect, one must also have the basic meaning. (Operation Manger
Definition, 2018).

2. An Operations Manager's role entails translating abstract concepts and orders to

teams of individuals, clients, and other heads of departments. Since the OM will
communicate with a wide number of individuals from diverse backgrounds, a
strong communicator must be the activity manager (Operation Manger Definition,
2018).

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 13

 3. Operations executives work in one or more areas of an organization and
supervise functions within their divisions.

4. Operations managers are exceptionally able to coordinate these multiple sources

of information as they are very familiar with the requisite operating routines. This
enhances the approach of a business by ensuring that finished goods and
services are distributed effectively to markets (Mak and Ramaprasad, 2003).

5. Human resource management – staff working by an organisation either function

directly to produce a product or a service or offer assistance to others who do so.
A vital resource for all organizations is employees and the way they are handled.
(2010 from Dan & Sanders)

6. Asset Management – Structures, infrastructure, supplies and inventories of the

company are specifically engaged with or assist the service function. (Dan &
Sanders 2010)

7. Cost management – much of the expense of manufacturing products or services

is primarily related to the cost of purchasing, converting or supplying energy to
consumers. For many private sector companies, pushing down costs by effective
organizational control gives them a vital competitive advantage.

9. Control of information - Successful processes and structures are based on

individuals, so it takes a well-thought-out and systematic plan to recruit, employ,
and maintain talent (Patel, 2017). Operations administrators struggle to make
improvements to their recruiting process to boost their bottom line and retain
employees who succeed in their organization in order to resolve obstacles.

10. Sustainability - Jeremy (2018) explains it similarly as a three-pillar definition that

includes Operations administrators need to be informed with corporate social,
environmental and economic sustainability to consider how their work impacts
protection, health, families, the environment and economic sustainability where
he also identifies market organizational sustainability as a method of assessing
whether a company can maintain existing practices without jeopardizing future
resources.

11. Today in order to build lean and effective systems, technology plays a crucial role
in the corporate environment. Although this lets effective companies eliminate
duplications and delays in workflows keeping up with the constantly evolving
technologies and learning to use it to render businesses competent against their
competitors is a challenge for operations.

12. Globalization - Globalization is a convergence mechanism between individuals,

corporations and governments. This large rivalry includes the use of technical
innovations and the elimination of intra-commercial obstacles where operations
manager struggles to reduce costs, retain high quality and stay competitive.
Successful operations managers are actively preparing, coordinating, directing
and regulating to ensure that the product or service remains competitive.

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 14

 3. Expected challenges

This should not be surprising because the field of operations management is not only a
challenging one, but one requiring deep understanding of business processes and tools
in order to successfully apply them to design, create and deliver value to customers and
other stakeholders.

Operation management according to Burke (2005) Referring to expected and unplanned

transition requires the expertise of a solid operations manager who can equip them with
the awareness and abilities to choose the most effective methods and strategies for the
productive usage of operational capital and the juggling of inputs in the value creating
phase.
Operations managers are key actors in the process of implementation and efficient
governance of reform in the company which has become a focus (Kotter, 1996; Spector,
2010) that is a feat most of them find difficult.

An Operations Manager challenge emerges in the context of business activities and

business environment, especially as both context and environment change to alter the
effectiveness of operations techniques and processes for managers in a business. (M.
Donovan 2014.)

Moreover, the levels of problem solving or conceptual skills required in understanding

and applying the tools and techniques of operations management create the most
significant challenge for Operations managers

Technical challenge presented by operations management in terms of the required body

of knowledge and understanding they need to possess to carry out their job
responsibilities and tasks effectively and efficiently must be understood by the
Operations Manager.

Given the extent of comprehension of operating management philosophies, concepts,

procedures, strategies and tactics by the Operations Manager, the real world is much
more complicated than we can expect and the factors of transformation have become
more uncontrollable as unplanned transition generates a paradox. (Burke, 2005)

4. Analysis and Discussions on Operational Challenges Relevant to this Job

Challenge Time Management, Multitasking and Diversifying Roles

It is clear that the Operations Manager will not only be responsible for different company
facilities, but also spend time commuting to oversee departments and events around the
country by evaluating the scope of work listed in the attached job description. CSCMP
and Sanders (2014) have illustrated how distance minimizes the efficiency of workers
by reducing planning and execution time.

Recommendations

In order to tackle the output of broad and diversified resources, the incumbent is
recommended to use the division and subdivision of tasks and appoint a representative
to each category to improve cohesion and vertical distribution of roles across these
management tiers (Satyendra, 2015). It would improve productivity by leveraging new

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 15

technical innovations to make immediate knowledge accessible to field teams.
(Debbie, 2018; 2017: Leonard).

Training field workers to use digital technology resources for future internet conferences,
schedule sharing as well as other media tools is an advisable way to improve productivity
(Dorothy & William, 2015; Cheung, 2018).

5. Documentation and Reporting

The operations manager is responsible for district and national reports, which include
the compilation of data such as project performance, finances, etc., as can be noted in
the job description. This can be difficult, particularly if no current or precise record has
been maintained. Francine (2015) also criticized some businesses that gather a large
amount of everything in which she said that most executives end up drowning in the data
while thirsting for insights. This can also be the case for the holder of the role.

Recommendations

The operations manager is recommended to clearly understand the project's key

performance indicators and filter them into the critical ones in order to be very efficient.
To assess the long-term viability of the company, it is very important to keep a complete
record of all profit and loss accounts, as well as sales goals and expenses that are
necessary.

Difficulty recruiting and keeping the right talent

It's become more difficult and daunting than ever before to secure professional staff.
Today, the nature of work has driven many employers to rethink their techniques for
talent management, implementing innovative approaches to secure the talent they need
to succeed. (Haris Azmi, 2019)

(Guancheng et al. 2016, Rwanda Ministry of Finance, 2012; Adeniyi, 2017) all agreed
that it may be discouraging to identify and retain the right skills, particularly when the
organization needs to employ a significant number of individuals.

Recommendation

The incumbent needs to properly execute a well-planned onboarding process to cope

with the challenge in order to increase the opportunity for positive experience, which also
results in a win-win relationship between the new hire and the company. Careful
selection of team members is important for building a competent, motivated and
compatible team. Rosalinda (2015)

6. Conclusion

Before applying for any job the applicant must make sure he /she is a good fit for the
role they are applying for, this includes assessing every detail of the function as outlined
in the job description, if all this checks out then tackling the generic issue wouldn’t be so
difficult.

We find from the study that the Operations Manager's forecasting, quality control,
competitiveness, business systems and resource usage are significant organizational

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 16

challenges. The performance of the incumbent will be assessed by the efficiency of
overall operations. It is important to note that the incumbent will be exposed to scrutiny
by many stakeholders and/or authorities within the organization who are across several
aspects of performance objectives and indicators. As a project manager, every action
taken is planned, also with view to foresee operational challenges and ensure efficiency.

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 17

 Appendix 1

Job vacancy: Operations Manager

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2329067728/?utm_source=MyJobMag

We Are Recruiting To Fill the Position below

Job Title: Operations Manager

Location: Lagos, Nigeria

Job Description

 The ideal candidate will have an ability to create and maintain an efficient
system of operation to support the business needs.
 The candidate should be comfortable multitasking and working cross-
functionally with different business units. The ideal candidate will have previous
experience in related fields.

Responsibilities

 Establish and maintain business standards for accuracy, productivity and

reliability
 Manage the daily functions of the business
 Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual performance review and reevaluate
processes
 Ensure regulatory, compliance and legal rules are followed
 Manage budget to align with goals of business
 Assisting in gathering and unifying all teams.
 Provide solutions, action plan, projected result and expected impact for all
problems or challenges that may arise.
 Manage individual/team performance by establishing weekly operating
objectives for key employees/teams with end of week reviews.
 Project planning and management.

Qualifications / Requirements

 At least 1 year of experience in a similar role

 Must live around Ikeja, Lagos (or be willing to work daily from Ikeja)
 Proficiency with Microsoft Office
 Must be a graduate
 Must be hardworking and passionate about working with a startup company.
 Strong organizational and communication skills
 Strong ability to multitask
 Must be highly disciplined, a fast learner

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 18

  Comfort working with multiple groups within business.

Abdulhakeem Mustafa (74103830) Page 19

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