Workload control: successful implementation taking a contingency-based view of production planning and control
Workload control: successful implementation taking a contingency-based view of production planning and control
Purpose: To present a successful implementation of a comprehensive Workload Control (WLC) concept; and to describe the associated implementation process.
Design/methodology/approach: Longitudinal action research using a contingency-based approach to ensure alignment between the case company and the characteristics of the WLC approach; and the resulting expected improvements in performance. A set of 17 issues and responses from the literature is used as a checklist for implementing WLC.
Findings: Performance improvements include: reduced lead times; significant improvement in lateness and tardiness; reduced costs; improved internal and external co-ordination; and higher quality. The relevance of 15 of the 17 implementation issues is confirmed along with the same response as in previous research for 10 issues and an improved response for 5 issues. In addition, 3 new issues are identified and addressed.
Research limitations/implications: Dependability was a more important competitive priority in this company than speed; and, therefore, the ability of WLC to reduce lead times was not fully assessed.
Practical implications: The importance of a contingency-based approach to production planning and control is confirmed. Comprehensive WLC approaches are closely aligned with the high-variety/low-volume context of Make-to-Order (MTO) companies.
Originality/value: This is the first paper that empirically demonstrates performance improvements resulting from WLC alongside a detailed discussion of the implementation process. Few examples of successful implementations have been published previously, and these tend to treat the implementation process as a ‘black box’. Where more detail on the implementation process has been given in previous studies, evidence of effectiveness in practice was not provided.
workload control, implementation strateg, make-to-order, production planning and control, action research
69-103
Hendry, Linda
b39e6c70-59f2-4ea0-81ec-6eab1d325b2e
Huang, Yuan
b3cce91c-af53-42c0-8cc2-1de18c6a63b1
Stevenson, Mark
882e3447-138b-4429-a87e-8450b3e90f59
2013
Hendry, Linda
b39e6c70-59f2-4ea0-81ec-6eab1d325b2e
Huang, Yuan
b3cce91c-af53-42c0-8cc2-1de18c6a63b1
Stevenson, Mark
882e3447-138b-4429-a87e-8450b3e90f59
Hendry, Linda, Huang, Yuan and Stevenson, Mark
(2013)
Workload control: successful implementation taking a contingency-based view of production planning and control.
International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 33 (1), .
(doi:10.1108/01443571311288057).
Abstract
Purpose: To present a successful implementation of a comprehensive Workload Control (WLC) concept; and to describe the associated implementation process.
Design/methodology/approach: Longitudinal action research using a contingency-based approach to ensure alignment between the case company and the characteristics of the WLC approach; and the resulting expected improvements in performance. A set of 17 issues and responses from the literature is used as a checklist for implementing WLC.
Findings: Performance improvements include: reduced lead times; significant improvement in lateness and tardiness; reduced costs; improved internal and external co-ordination; and higher quality. The relevance of 15 of the 17 implementation issues is confirmed along with the same response as in previous research for 10 issues and an improved response for 5 issues. In addition, 3 new issues are identified and addressed.
Research limitations/implications: Dependability was a more important competitive priority in this company than speed; and, therefore, the ability of WLC to reduce lead times was not fully assessed.
Practical implications: The importance of a contingency-based approach to production planning and control is confirmed. Comprehensive WLC approaches are closely aligned with the high-variety/low-volume context of Make-to-Order (MTO) companies.
Originality/value: This is the first paper that empirically demonstrates performance improvements resulting from WLC alongside a detailed discussion of the implementation process. Few examples of successful implementations have been published previously, and these tend to treat the implementation process as a ‘black box’. Where more detail on the implementation process has been given in previous studies, evidence of effectiveness in practice was not provided.
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Accepted/In Press date: 8 June 2012
Published date: 2013
Keywords:
workload control, implementation strateg, make-to-order, production planning and control, action research
Organisations:
Centre of Excellence for International Banking, Finance & Accounting
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 340066
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/340066
ISSN: 0144-3577
PURE UUID: 8796d01a-8931-4d4b-aa59-775e69391180
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Date deposited: 11 Jun 2012 09:08
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:41
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Contributors
Author:
Linda Hendry
Author:
Yuan Huang
Author:
Mark Stevenson
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