Operations Management for Competitive Advantage - Assignment Example

The effective utilization of TQM can yield positive results which would not only improve the operations but would set higher operating standards. The proposed alternative approach for Pizza Store would be the implementation of the Six Sigma Principle in relation to External Benchmarking. This strategy will initiate with DMAIC methodology where customer priorities and Defined which in Mario’s case would be the length of the queue, the customers in peak hours, waiting time, order processing time, and the overall service.

These are the parameters which are regarded significant by the customers and should be targeted. The second step is to Measure the current processes to pinpoint the defects in the system and highlight the bottlenecks. These concerned areas are critical to the quality of service and need to be improved (Jacobs, Chase and Aquilano, 2005). Once the gray areas are identified, we need to proceed with Analyzing the reasons behind these defects. We need to find answers to the questions such as, Are we able to cater to the customers during peak hours?

Where the order processing consumes maximum time? Is the behavior of our waiters friendly? The next step is to Improve the concerned areas by identifying the acceptable standards for working to achieve them. Alignment with the highest operating standard to yield desirable results is a tedious process (Jacobs and Chase, 2010). It is needed to be carried out with diligence so that no lacking in standards is observed in any critical area. The existing processes need to be modified, changed or even re-engineered to reach the desired level.

The last but not the least, Control the array of events otherwise the complete activity would be a useless ordeal. Proper monitoring of the key personnel, as well as the variables, are required to ensure that all is under control.