Friday, April 22, 2016

OPERATIONS: Bottlenecks

OPERATIONS BOTTLENECKS

Where are you likely to have bottlenecks in your service delivery or manufacturing process and how will these be anticipated and addressed. 
·             Advertiser not getting ads to publication on time – have to contact client
o   Have sales staff contact advertiser well in advance of deadline
o   Offer to create ad for the client
·             Ads not arriving in print ready format – have to contact client
o   Offer to create ad for the client
·             Authors not meeting deadlines with articles
o   Build in two draft stages before the final
o   Build a network of reliable authors over time
·             Content of articles not as Editor expected
o   Build in two draft stages before the final
o   Build a network of reliable authors over time
·             Photographer provided several photos – but none are as expected
o   Attend the photo shoot
o   Review photos at the shoot
·             Not selling enough ads to fill space
o   Develop filler material
o   Offer discounts to ad buyers
·             Not selling enough ads to cover costs
o   Maintain a contingency fund
o   Discount early cash payment
o   Discount bundled ad buys
·             Layout not on schedule 
o   Daily communication with layout designer
o   Resolve issues as they occur – do not put them off
·             Printing is delayed – magazine not available on schedule
o   Keep printer informed of your schedule
o   Have a back up printer available

Describe the lead/lag times that characterize the fundamental operating cycle in your business.
Regarding ad sales, ads are sold as far in advance as possible. Ads are received by the publisher as much as two months before the magazine goes to print. The payment is received after the magazine is printed and distributed with the ad.
Regarding magazine content – it follows the same schedule because everything has to be laid out and reviewed before printing. Therefore, content is received at least 60 days in advance of the distribution date.  

Explain how any seasonal production loads will be handled without severe dislocation (e.g., by building inventory, using part-time help in peak periods).
Election season both local and national affect printing schedules, as candidates generally have large printing orders that can interfere with routine printing.

What quality consistency issues exist and how will consistency of quality be ensured? What controls exist, for instance, to ensure every burger is cooked exactly the same?
In addition to maintaining the look feel and texture of the publication, quality consistency also needs to be maintained with the magazine content. Editing, writing quality, artwork and photography have to be at a certain standard for the magazine to be considered upscale. The controls that will be in place at the start of the venture will be the executive team. Once the magazine has been in business for a few years – the team will be at a point where they can create ‘Standard Operating Procedures,’ for some aspects of the publication process to maintain certain levels of quality.  

1 comment:

  1. Margaret,

    I thought that you were very specific and on point with your analysis of the bottlenecks associated with publications. I have some experience in this field from many years ago and I think that you are correct in identifying the two month or longer timeframe for getting ads to a publisher. Also, I agree with your solution to the problem of not selling enough ads to fill space; coming up with filler material will generally help offset those issues. Overall, some great points and insights.

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