transformation		the mutural dependence that the key functions have on one another.
value adding		refers to how quickly operations processes can adjust to changes in the market
lean production		the process of measuring actual performance against planned performance
strategic		the arrangement of equipment, machinery and staff within the facility
cost leadership		refers to creation of individualised products to meet the specific needs of the customers
economies of scale		a term broadly referring to distribution but includes transportation, the use of storage, warehousing and distribution centres, materials handling and packaging.
product differentiation		the conversion of inputs (resources) into outputs (goods and services)
interdependence		is characterised by the manaufacturing of a high volume of constant quality goods
suply chain		theose inputs that carry out the transformation process
global web		aiming to have the lowests cost or to be the most price-competitive in the market
fixed costs		involves the use of a system to ensure that set standards are achieved in production
varibale costs		involves the use of inspections at various points in the production process to check for problems and defects
outsourcing		affecting all key business areas; that is, the management involves operations managers contributing to the stategic direction or strategic plan of the business
inputs		specific criteria used to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of the business's performance
raw materials		a process that allows a standard, mass produced item to be personally modified to specific customer requirements
intermediate goods		distinguishing products in some way from its competitors
information		an inventory managment approach which ensures that the exact amount of material inputs will arrive only as they are needed in the operation process
key performance indicators (KPIs)		assumes that the first goods purchased are also the first goods sold
transforming resources		involves integrating and managing the flow of supplies throughout the inputs, transformation processes and outputs in order to best meet the needs of customers
lead time		an operational arrangement in which employees and equipment come to the product
sequencing		refers to the length of time activities take within the operations process
scheduling		those costs that vary in direct relationship to the level of business activity
gantt chart		assumes that the last goods purchased are also the first goods sold
critical path analysis		the network of suppliers a business has chosen on the basis of lowest overall cost, lowest risk and maximum certainty in quality and timing of supplies
task design		where the equipment arrangement relates to the sequence of tasks performed in manufacturing a product
plant layout		the resources used in the transformation process
process layout		somebody who initiates change or facilitates the change process
product production		the cost advantages that can be created as a result of an increase in scale of business operations.
product layout		eliminating waste at every stage of production
fixed position layout		the scheduling method or technique that shows what tasks need to be done, how long they take and what order is necessary to complete those tasks
monitoring		a term that describes a psychological resistance to change
control		the knowledge gained from research, investigation and instruction, which results in an increase in understanding
bottleneck		an aspect of the tranformation process that slows down the overall processing speed or creates an impediment leading to a backlog of incompletely processed products
dependability		concept focuses on managing the total business to deliver quality to customers
flexibility		refers to the order in which activities in the operations process occur
customisation		adding value as inputs are transformed into outputs
mass customisation		the use of outside specialist to undertake one or more key business functions
supply chain management		are those costs that did not change regardless of the level of business activity
sourcing		a type of bar chart that shows both the scheduled and competed work over a period of time
supplier rationalisation		a performance objective, refers to how consistent and reliable a business's products are
logistics		the arrangement of machines such that the machines and equipment are grouped together by the function they perform
LIFO		refers to the purchasing of inputs for the transformation processes
FIFO		classifying job activities in way that make it easy for an employee to successfully perform and complete the task
JIT		the essential substances in their unprocessed state
quality management		the time it takes for an order to be fulfilled from the moment it is made
quality control		an ongoing commitment to improving a business's goods or services
quality assurance		refers to those processes that a business undertakes to ensure consistency, reliability, safety and fitness of purpose of product
continuous improvement		involves assessing the number of suppliers in order to reduce the number of suppliers to the least amount
total quaility management		occurs when KPIs are assessed against perdetermined targets and corrective action is taken if required
inertia		the range of suppliers a business has and the nature of its relatiosnhip with those suppliers
change agent		the goods manufactured and used in further manufacturing or processing