Operations Management in the time of COVID-19 with Erin Barsuglia
What is Operational Strategy Consulting?
Armed with your goals, Operational Strategy works with your team to develop implementation plans and identify strengths, gaps, opportunities, and threats to your organization’s ability to meet those goals.
Tell us about the importance of continuous improvement/process improvement in the operations world.
Continuous improvement is incredibly important to operations. It can increase efficiency in both labor and manufacturing, improve process flow in an area, decrease waste and help with team cohesiveness. Process improvement is part of continuous improvement. If a current process is not working well or is not standardized across those performing the process, it leads to a variety of ways one process is executed which can potentially impact quality and timing.
Process improvement focuses on standardizing processes in the most efficient way while maintaining quality and regulatory standards. Continuous and process improvement are great opportunities to engage employees, listen to their ideas for improvement which can be done through Kaizen events. Particularly in the current COVID-19 environment where many operational processes need to change to accommodate social distancing, it is important to consider how to incorporate these new ideas in the most efficient way possible. It may take several variations to find the best process and it is important to have metrics to track how processes are working and revisit the processes on a regular basis to see if further improvements can be made.
Continuous improvement is an important aspect of employee development as well. When companies support individual professional development, it fosters greater personal growth and professional engagement.
What are the signs that my organization could use AJC’s operations management consulting?
Difficulty meeting delivery deadlines and would like to have assessment of current process flow and how to improve efficiency in both process and labor
High COGs and Labor costs
Difficulty getting teams to align on projects or work together towards one goal
Too many manual processes that could be automated
Need new or relevant data analytics to measure employee and process performance
Rumor has it you developed a unique talent after working as Director of Operations and Quality Manager for Stash Tea Company.
After many years of tasting teas and herbal ingredients as part of my job, I am able to distinguish different flavors very well which makes whiskey tasting a fun activity.