5 Impact of COVID on Operations Management

Corporate Angle

Ms. Pooja Prasad Program Management Junior Executive at Flex, Pune, India

Impact of COVID on Operations Management

Daily we see how operations work but it is amalgamation of people ,process & project wherein many terms are involved which integrates steps taken to reach the one goal one mission one vision resulting in productive outcomes thereby resolving daily problems faced in operations by adopting technology using intellect and bringing the ideas into reality in the form of Kaizen.

But due to COVID situation and its sudden arrival in our life has impacted many phases of life and work. We cannot overlook the black side of operations that has impacted due to COVID pandemics .It is really not easy to keep the same smooth flow or work still people have done it by struggling in their field in spite of COVID hitting various aspects of operations like manufacturing and design.

For an employee the problem faced are varied and has many angles to pay attention. Again in it depend on resource available and backup as we have Business Continuity Process that kept employee ready for pandemic situation. As an employee along with work it is necessary to take time-off from frustration but it was necessary to first settle ourselves with this situation that results in daily follow up and managing the in and out in operation in order to maintain the flow and then take rest, so it is difficult but at last if passion is that strong then any miracle can happen. Herein the problem is what if the first, second and third resource supporting same project goes on holiday on same day then it comes to cluster lead and there manager start brainstorming since he has to keep the process in-tact being adhered to one’s responsibility and thereby aligning one’s team as per situation.

In operations, while working from home at a sudden in phase of Business Continuity Process all of sudden everything was announced to be ready with all tools, technology, systems with resources with respect to their localized place wherein they don’t know if they have proper internet connection which can indirectly affect the process and employee attendance work flow.

Sitting more time at one place without exposure to travel hampers the thinking potential of an employee so accordingly people who works in operation at site works day-in and day-out on Manufacturing Assembly Line at Industry site who are literally struggling in maintaining the safe distance by keeping the trust of product and delivering it till customer without any hesitation for us so that we can also perform our actions in operations resulting in employment sustenance due to which we can contribute our best in field of Manufacturing and Design under Operation Management.

So when people work together, they can give their best by approaching upper level having inperson communication with upper hierarchy while on the other hand during Work from Home, it is difficult to predict in manipulation of data during work and how it is processed under screen without supervisor observation expect the meeting session. We struggle to prove ourselves whenever there is escalation raised by customer.

So below are some points that can be consolidated for consequences of COVID pandemics over Operation Management:

• Productivity Concern • Product Quality Improvement • Customer Satisfaction Worry • Deployment of a new Enterprise-wide application • Always buried under mountain of

Reporting phase • Unresolved conflicts between departments • Difficulty in recruiting the right talent These all things has to be handled by manager and maintain the flow of process and mange it with strong team support and dedication while doing our duty.

Manager is a multi-tasker person who take every decision by wearing many hats from each angle and horizon thereby expanding the vision and mission horizon .He is a vital member of the management who will report to the upper level the all day to day happening within the team. He is who drives the team efficiency thereby reducing costs, improving customer experience, taking ownership of the key metrics that drive a company’s performance and ensure that the organization is running at full speed. Manager play a major role in doing the valuable and necessary everyday functions that enable other departments to be motivated and succeed thereby making a real difference in an organization.

Operations manager are increasingly feeling the pressure to push employees to work faster and better. The key questions that arise are: • How can we get the team “up to speed” thereby performing their duties quickly and successfully? • How do we ensure continued success after initial training ends? • How do we best engage employees so that they remember the knowledge and skills learned during training sessions and are able to apply it once they are back at their desks? • How to make the progress and appreciation received from customer consistent. • How to fulfill the different needs of employees from knowledge and process perspective?

• How to maintain the harmony and unity within the team in all situation? • How to maintain the leave plan when front face is on leave so that work is not hampered?

Herein the recovery of revenue and finance would probably take 1 year to settle down still the employees are being so great than to the management who understood the relevance of humanity. The COVID-19 pandemic will have long-lasting implications on the future of manufacturing operations. Manufacturers would need to create plans that can sustain longterm responsibility, agility, responsiveness, and resilience for their manufacturing operations. This means better monitoring of the end-to-end manufacturing operations, to analyse how well placed they are to respond to future disruptions with greater confidence and speed.

About the Author:

Ms. Pooja Kamlesh Prasad

She is currently working with Flex as program management junior executive and has 2 years of experience in project management.