A function to ensure that resources are in place to enable the organisation to attain its goals.
Simple Operations
This area encompass an awfully large responsibility to the company and the mechanics of smooth running. It's worth taking time to plan, revise make sure it's all in place... and then have a backup.
- 'Operations' affect all people within the organisation
- It is an enabling function that is a part of every role in the organisation
- It requires an eye for detail and keen planning and deployment
Ducks in a row
Whether or not your organisation has a department called 'Operations', you do have the Operations function. It is the act of enabling the business to attain it's purpose or goal be that as a product or service. And that's a lot of hard ground to cover!
To be effective in operations it is required that you understand each function within the business and, importantly, their interrelationship. What they give, what they take and what they need to complete an activity. Then you need logistical ability to know how to get resources in place at the right time to make it work and how to best review it all to ensure it continues to work.
A good adage here is 'if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got'. Why mention this? Because one day the boss is going to cut your budget and you'll have to do things differently to get the same, or better, results. So be aware that just because something works, it can be improved or refined; that's a part of the review process and will preferably happen constantly over time as opposed to an enforced step change.
In my engagements, I have been able to cast an outsiders eye over a business and see sometimes glaringly obvious operational improvements. For example, these can be in simple ways - to host information on the company intranet (negating the need for additional paperwork) or to manage a meeting effectively by sticking to what you're supposed to be discussing. More complex scenarios have arisen such as - 'we have a critical supplier of parts and they just went bust'; a good one that has come up more than once is 'we've just noticed there is new legislation coming in 6 months time and we're not prepared for it'...
Whatever the scenario, it always comes down to knowing what resource you have available, or require, at any given time and how to best deploy that resource to achieve the goal.
It requires long term strategic thinking, near term tactical thinking and continual or day-to day routine thinking.
It may fall on one person to ensure it happens, but Operations is a function of the business and is a part of every job function in the same way as Health & Safety.
What They Say
"An honest and hard working individual, Andy shows a constant drive and determination that would be welcomed in any organisation.
Always on hand to provide technical guidance and support, he proved himself invaluable on a number of occasions, during a variety of different evolutions. His Project Management style is enhanced further by his professional attitude, his knowledge and varied experience within Operational Process and Systems Development."
Thomas Irving, Logistics Officer, Royal Navy
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About Holisys Ltd
The name 'Holisys' is obviously a combination of two words - 'holistic' and 'systems'. This reflects both the approach to work by considering all apsects and influences, and also that everything is a part of a system.
The company logo is designed to hypnotise you into awarding me a contract, and this text is to see if you have read all the way down here!
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