Developing flexible operations is the best action that supports a company’s strategic focus on delivery speed to improve competitive advantage. Flexible operations are the ability to adapt to changes in customer demand, product mix, quality standards, and delivery schedules1. Flexible operations can help a company achieve faster delivery speed by enabling it to respond quickly and efficiently to fluctuations in the market, reduce lead times, optimize resource utilization, and avoid bottlenecks2. Flexible operations can also help a company gain a competitive edge by offering a wider variety of products or services, different volumes or quantities, and varying delivery dates to meet customer needs and expectations3.
Some examples of flexible operations are:
Volume flexibility: the ability to produce different quantities or volumes of output3
Delivery flexibility: the ability to change the timings or modes of delivery3
Product flexibility: the ability to produce different types or variants of products or services4
Process flexibility: the ability to use different methods or technologies to perform a process4
Resource flexibility: the ability to use different inputs or resources for a process4
Some strategies for developing flexible operations are:
Using modular design: designing products or services that consist of interchangeable components or modules that can be easily assembled or disassembled5
Implementing automation: using machines or software to perform tasks that would otherwise require human labor6
Adopting lean principles: eliminating waste and non-value-added activities from processes, such as overproduction, inventory, defects, waiting, transportation, motion, and overprocessing7
Applying agile methods: using iterative and incremental approaches to deliver products or services that meet changing customer requirements and feedback
Cross-training workers: training workers to perform multiple tasks or roles within a process or organization
References: 1: Operations Flexibility Definition 2 2: Why flexibility is critical when planning an operations - KPMG 4 3: Performance Objectives - What Are the 5 Business Objectives? - PeopleGoal 1 4: Competitive Priorities in Operations with Examples - StudiousGuy 5 5: Modular Design Definition 6: Automation Definition 7: Lean Principles Definition : Agile Methodology Definition : Cross-training Definition
