Slack, et al. (2004) divide operations management responsibilities into three areas:
- Direct
- Indirect
- Broad
Direct Responsibility
Direct responsibility involves activities which produce and deliver products and services although the exact nature of the direct responsibilities of operations functions will be dependent on how the organisation choses to define its operations function boundaries.
Companies should be concerned about satisfying customer requirements through fast, dependable service, at a reasonable price as well as helping their suppliers to improve the services that they offer.
Every type of operation will, however, include some generic classes of activity.
These include understanding the operation’s strategic objectives, developing an operations strategy for the organisation, designing the operations products, services and processes, planning and controlling the operation, and improving the performance of the operation. (Slack, et al.)
Understanding the strategic objectives are the first responsibility for an organisation’s operations management team. Slack, et al. (2004) point out that this means developing a clear vision of how the operation should help the organisation achieve its long term goal or goals. As well as this, it involves identifying the implications for the operation’s performance objectives, quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost from the organisation’s goals.