Framework for Managing Activity-Based Optimisation of Order-Delivery Process

Abstract

In spite of the new elements included in competition today, traditional sources of competitiveness cannot be overlooked. In practice, development of these components is poorly structured. An understanding of the similarities and differences between the relevant isms and fashionable trends requires a thorough study.

Development can be focused on products, operations and/or resources. This study focuses on operations and on the development of operational performance. Despite the availability of various methods to develop the order-delivery process, a clear need exists for methods which help to identify the primary development objects in the order-delivery process and to define the concrete development actions needed.

The main object of this study is to develop a method to identify development actions on the activity level to achieve a comprehensive optimisation of the order-delivery process. Optimisation on the activity level contributes to a stabilisation of operation on the process level. Correspondingly, optimisation on the activity level may require a reengineering on the task level. The second object is to provide a description of the general structure of development.

The study applies a constructive research approach and is divided into five main parts. The first deals with basic concepts of development. The second reviews the existing approaches to problem analysis in development work. The third part presents the model developed. The fourth part contains the practical validation of the research result and the final part contains the discussion of results and topics for further research.

The main result of the study is the development of a method which enables the systematic inclusion of goals set on higher levels and a comprehensive analysis of operations, as well as proposes concrete development actions. The method presented in this study for structuring the ideas for development has proved very usable.