Projects are a frequent part of business. They differ from routine activities in that they usually have a narrow focus, specific deadline and may occur only once or infrequently. Some project types recur but differ in their goals. Understanding how projects can improve your ongoing operations helps you integrate them into your company’s culture with optimal results.
Routine Business
Routing and Scheduling in Production Planning and Control. Routing may be defined as the selection of path which each part of the product will follow while being transformed from raw materials to finished products. Path of the product will also give sequence of operation to.
Routine business activities are those that take place on a regular basis and are often necessary for the successful ongoing operations of the business. Examples include opening and closing procedures for a retailer; bookkeeping for any company; computer, building and machinery maintenance; ongoing marketing; weekly or bimonthly payroll; and quarterly budget reviews or financial audits. If a company stopped any of these activities, it would likely shut down.
Projects
Projects are activities that are helpful to a business or tasks the business needs completed that are performed once or on an irregular basis. Projects can be part of routine business, such as one-time promotions that are part of ongoing marketing strategies. Other examples include creating a new product or service and reviewing and analyzing your existing products or services. As small businesses grow and add employees and managers, they often undertake a project to create formalized organization and company policies and procedures.
Routine Business Characteristics
A common characteristic of a routine business activity is that it occurs frequently, to the point its execution doesn’t need to be planned and the people doing it don’t need daily instruction, permission or training. Routine business generally doesn’t have an end date because it occurs repeatedly. Many routine activities are necessary to a business; a company can’t continue operation without them.
Project Characteristics
When deciding whether something should be a project or become a routine part of your business, look at its importance to the business and whether your company can continue without it. If not, make it a project. If the activity is important to the business’s survival, but you don’t need it done immediately, make it a project. Projects have specific goals, start and end dates, benchmarks with deadlines that are used to manage the project, a project manager and a specific group of team members working on them. Each project your company undertakes should have a written plan that details expectations, schedules, costs, team members and the work product or benefit delivered.
Consider Project Outsourcing
Because projects often require special expertise and can take away the focus of your employees who handle routine activities, consider hiring consultants or service firms to handle projects for you. This gives you access to expertise you might not have at your company, while allowing your staff to contribute to the activity.
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About the Author
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Sam Ashe-Edmunds has been writing and lecturing for decades. He has worked in the corporate and nonprofit arenas as a C-Suite executive, serving on several nonprofit boards. He is an internationally traveled sport science writer and lecturer. He has been published in print publications such as Entrepreneur, Tennis, SI for Kids, Chicago Tribune, Sacramento Bee, and on websites such Smart-Healthy-Living.net, SmartyCents and Youthletic. Edmunds has a bachelor's degree in journalism.
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Routing and Scheduling in Production Planning and Control
Routing may be defined as the selection of path which each part of the product will follow while being transformed from raw materials to finished products. Path of the product will also give sequence of operation to be adopted while being manufactured. In other way, routing means determination of most advantageous path to be followed from department to department and machine to machine till raw material gets its final shape, which involves the following steps:
- Type of work to be done on product or its parts.
- Operation required to do the work.
- Sequence of operation required.
- Where the work will be done.
- A proper classification about the personnel required and the machine for doing the work.
For effective production control of a well-managed industry with standard conditions, the routing plays an important role, i.e., to have the best results obtained from available plant capacity. Thus routing provides the basis for scheduling, dispatching and follow-up.
Techniques of Routing
While converting raw material into required goods different operations are to be performed and the selection of a particular path of operations for each piece is termed as ‘Routing’. This selection of a particular path, i.e. sequence of operations must be the best and cheapest to have the lowest cost of the final product. The various routing techniques are:
While converting raw material into required goods different operations are to be performed and the selection of a particular path of operations for each piece is termed as ‘Routing’. This selection of a particular path, i.e. sequence of operations must be the best and cheapest to have the lowest cost of the final product. The various routing techniques are:
- Route card: This card always accompanies with the job throughout all operations. This indicates the material used during manufacturing and their progress from one operation to another. In addition to this the details of scrap and good work produced are also recorded
- Work sheet: It contains
- Specifications to be followed while manufacturing.
- Instructions regarding routing of every part with identification number of machines and This sheet is made for manufacturing as well as for maintenance.
- Route sheet: It deals with specific production order. Generally made from operation sheets. One sheet is required for each part or component of the order. This includes the following:
- Number and other identification of order.
- Symbol and identification of part.
- Number of pieces to be made.
- Number of pieces in each lot if put through in lots.
- Operation data which includes:
- List of operation on the part.
- Department in which operations are to be performed.
- Machine to be used for each operation.
- Fixed sequence of operation, if any.
- Move order: Though this is document needed for production control, it is never used for routing system. Move order is prepared for each operation as per operation sheet. On this the quantity passed forward, scrapped and to be rectified are recorded. It is returned to planning office when the operation is completed.