Production and Operations Management

Are you looking for a job in production and operations? Here we have listed some important question and answers that can help you to prepare for job interviews.

Q.1 How are the Operations Manager involved with Individual Employees Morale?
Oftentimes this question gauges whether someone understands the position of operations manager and has a decent understanding of what scope the job entails. An operations manager has to deal with small scale conflicts, discipline, and office regulations. Oftentimes this means effectively communicating with/being attentive to, individual employees to ensure that personal conflicts or grievances are allayed. Be prepared to be asked about specific examples where a decision that you made influenced a situation either positively or negatively.
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Q.2 What are some of the essential skills that you bring to the table as an Operations Manager?
A few of the needed skills in operations management include excellent communication skills, leadership skills, problem solving ability, and quick learning/thinking. Rather than spew out key phrases that you think people want to hear, make these relevant to your experience. One example might be that you managed changes and communicated said changes to all levels of personnel using your communication skills and leadership abilities. You might also be able to highlight the fact that you are able to communicate messages across all levels of the organization and external parties, whether these include members of senior management or sub-contractors. pmp online course.
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Q.3 What do you know about managing budgets?
Operations managers are typically involved in budget planning. Their goal is to learn how much has already been spent, how much will be spent, and how to spend the remaining budget so as to acquire necessary resources within budget limits. Operations managers may be even involved in financial issues such as loans for the company.
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Q.4 What is the Importance of Production Function and Production Management?
Successful organizations have well defined and efficient line function and support function. Production comes under the category of line function which directly affects customer experience and there by future of organization itself. Aim of production function is to add value to product or service which will create a strong and long lasting customer relationship or association. And this can be achieved by healthy and productive association between Marketing and Production people. Marketing function people are frontline representative of the company and provide insights to real product needs of customers. An effective planning and control on production parameters to achieve or create value for customers is called production management.
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Q.5 What is the relationship of operation management to other departments in an organization?
This depends on the company’s size and industry. At start-ups or small companies, the operations person or people will work hand in hand with sales, marketing, finance, IT, and other people. However, operations teams at large companies also need to work closely with other departments to be effective. The work of operations, from planning to production to distribution, touches the work of most other departments. A company’s product or service is its lifeblood, and that’s what operations provides. Everything else in other departments should, in a sense, support that.
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Q.6 What are the levels of operations management?
You can think of operations management as three levels: strategic, tactical, and operations. To achieve the company’s goals, operations managers develop strategies. Under those broad strategies are tactics, or specific tasks and steps to implement the strategies. The third level, operations, refers to the daily control of production, such as scheduling, monitoring, and adjusting.
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Q.7 What are the operations management strategies?

Today’s operations managers are deeply involved in strategy, along with their daily production role. Here are several key strategy and tactics points:

  • Use of Data: Analytics are essential for strong planning, adjustments, and decision making. Two common types are efficiency metrics and effectiveness metrics.
  • Inventory Analysis: To manage inventory in the supply chain, ABC analysis (also called Pareto analysis) comes into play. It divides inventory into three categories A, B, and C; “A” has the most value and tightest controls, and “C” has the least.
  • Data Challenges: Data is often siloed, which makes it difficult to compare. But newer systems and setups are making this easier and helping analysts and managers examine data in new, helpful ways.
  • Process Design: Researching, forecasting, and developing a sound process takes expertise and energy, but the results can be lasting.
  • Forecasting and Goal Setting: The best forecasting often combines a look at historical data with an analysis of changing conditions.
  • Collaboration Among Departments: With good communication and collaboration, operations management can work effectively with finance, sales, marketing, human resources, and other departments.
  • Being Green: Ecological soundness has become a strategic and legal necessity at companies nowadays, especially in manufacturing.
  • Managing People: With all the advancements in machinery and technology, people remain critical to the equation, though often in different types of jobs.
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Q.8 What do you understand by strategic management and why is it important?
Strategic management gives whole direction by producing plans and policies designed to accomplish objectives and then designating resources to implement the ideas. Eventually, strategic management is for institutions to obtain a competing edge over their competitors.
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Q.9 Explain POM department.
POM or production and operations management is a division within business leadership changes a company's inputs, involving raw materials and product designs, into products or complete consumer products.
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Q.10 As a manufacturing operations manager, what is your management method?
In my experience, delegating responsibility is complex. A team requires to be capable of developing and growing as individuals and a mass, not be held back by low expectations or ego.
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Q.11 What is the importance of production and operations administration pom in entrepreneurship?
Planning, controlling, and coordination, of an organization's support to facilitate the production method. Issues like the area of production equipment, labor, and transportation expenses, and production forecasting are greatly important considerations.
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Q.12 What are the 5 steps of the strategic management process?

The 5 stages of the method are

  • analysis,
  • goal-setting
  • strategy implementation
  • strategy formation
  • strategy monitoring.
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Q.13 Tell us the elements of the strategic management process.
  • Initial Assessment.
  • Strategy Formulation.
  • Situation Analysis.
  • Strategy Implementation.
  • Strategy Monitoring.
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Q.14 What is plant location and describe the factors affecting plant location?
Plant location commits to the selection of the region where men, money, materials, machinery, and things are brought collectively for fixing up a business or factory. A plant is in a position where the value of the product is kept too low in order to maximize gains.
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Q.15 What do you know about managing budgets?
Operations managers are typically included in budget preparation. Their purpose is to determine how much has already been consumed, how much will be used, and how to employ the unused budget so as to acquire important resources within budget boundaries. Operations managers may be even involved in financial matters such as loans for the company.
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Q.16 State the location factors.
The seven factors influencing a location judgment in operations management are competition, facilities, logistics, community, labor, and site, political risk, and incentives, according to Reference for Business.
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Q.17 What is the main purpose of operations management?
The purpose of operations management is to maximize performance while providing goods and services that efficiently satisfy customer requirements. Operations are one of the 3 strategic purposes of any organization.
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Q.18 What are the five P's of strategy?
They stand for Plan, Position, Pattern, Perspective, and Ploy. These five elements allow an organization to achieve a more efficient strategy. A strategy is directed at the future, involves the long term, and includes various aspects of an organization.
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Q.19 What are the location analysis methods?
There are 2 basic kinds of location analysis. The primary is site choosing where the system or model is directed at choosing the most proper location from within a set. The secondary is site search where the method or model is directed at picking a set of sites to be utilized for site selection.
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Q.20 What are the activities of operations management?

Fundamental activities of operations management incorporate

  • job design
  • scheduling
  • capacity management
  • facilities management
  • materials management
  • quality management.
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Q.21 Define single facility location.
The single facility location problem is to learn the location of the latest facility, say X ∗, that minimizes f(X). In many applications, the cost per unit distance is continuous thus the minimization difficulty often degrades to a determination of the location that reduces distance.
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Q.22 State the 4 basic layout types.

There are 4 fundamental types of layouts:

  • product,
  • process,
  • hybrid
  • fixed position.
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Q.23 What are the basics of layout?
"Proximity", "alignment", "repetition" and "contrast" are seen as some of the fundamental sources of layout design, and are powerful methods for improving visible authority and readability, thus devising a strong impression on the user.
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Q.24 What are the five performance objectives?
The key to having good all-around performance is 5 performance objectives: speed, quality, dependability, flexibility, and cost.
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Q.25 What are the main sources of material handling?
  • Standardization principle
  • Ergonomic principle
  • Work Principle
  • Unit Load principle
  • Planning Principle
  • Space Utilization principle.
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Q.26 What are the main purposes of material handling?
Material handling is the protection, movement, storage, and control of materials and products during manufacturing, distribution, warehousing, consumption, and disposal.
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Q.27 What is material handling safety?
Safety for materials handling gear determines the proper fit and performance of personal protection, including, steel-toed boots, eye protection, other personal safety devices.
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Q.28 What are the 3 types of globalization?
  • Economic globalization: It focuses on the integration of international financial markets and the coordination of financial exchange. 
  • Political globalization: It covers the national policies that bring countries together politically, economically and culturally.
  • Cultural globalization:  It focuses in a large part on the technological and societal factors that are causing cultures to converge.
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Q.29 What is the difference between process design and product design?
The main difference between a product and a process is that the method is a set of steps that lead the project to gain a convenient product. Product is the final production of the project. While the process is a set of sequential actions that have to be supplanted to create a project.
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Q.30 Tell us the types of product design.
  • System Design.
  • Process Design.
  • Interface Design.
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Q.31 What is the way to make decisions and solve problems?
To choose the best solution and solve problems, first analyze the information and evaluate the results.
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Q.32 How do operations managers maintain and establish interpersonal relationships?
By evolving a constructive and cooperative working relationships with colleagues & others, and maintaining them over time.
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Q.33 What is the way to evaluate the information to determine compliance with standards?
To determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards, use individual judgment and relevant information.
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Q.34 State the manner in which the operations managers resolve conflicts and negotiate with others?
The operations manager settles the disputes, handles the complaints, and resolve grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiate with others.
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Q.35 What is the way to observe, receive and otherwise obtain information from all relevant sources?
By providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates on telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
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Q.36 What is getting information?
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources is al about getting the information.
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Q.37 To establish rapport with a new staff member what steps should be taken?
Show the way you communicate information effectively to an individual or a group, adjusting your approach according to the situation. This includes your ability to see the other person's perspective and establish a constructive relationship.
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Q.38 To prioritize work assignments state the method used.
Discuss your ability to make the objectives, plan proper assignment of tasks, set priorities, allocate resources effectively, use appropriate organizational tools and follow up on the work status.
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Q.39 Consider you have to provide training or coaching to different staff members on the same tasks?
Manifest how you have got expedited the event of data and skills, how you adjust your approach according to the individual and provide support wherever needed. Discuss how you're ready to assess the requirements of your workers, establish a plan for improvement considering available resources and the individual requirements and gain agreement to this plan.
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Q.40 Consider when delegating a recent assignment, how you showed your confidence in the person's ability to get done the job?
Show how you assign the tasks and responsibilities to the eligible folks, how you clarify exactly what is expected, communicate confidence and ensure adequate resources are available for successful completion of the task. Include follow-up procedures and setting deadlines.
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Q.41 Elucidate a problem you recently experienced with an employee who reported to you, how did you solve it?
To answer this question: show how you're ready to review the relevant facts, consider alternatives and decide on the most appropriate action. Discuss how you are taking into thought the obtainable resources and any approachable constraints.
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Q.42 What aspects of your previous management roles have you excelled within?
When answering this question it's not enough just to mention that you were responsible for a particular task, because the employers want to know that you excelled at it. It is also not enough to merely recite your relevant areas of expertise, you will want to share your instances of success stories from your work experience.
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Q.43 How would your subordinates describe your management style?
The ideal answer would incorporate an example of how you've got worked with a team you've got managed to resolve a haul.
For instance:
''I believe my team would say I respect their abilities and supply open communication and clear direction, whereas conjointly permitting them enough area to induce their work evaded constant check-ins. I have a vested interest in inferring what motivates each person to do his or her best work.'
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Q.44 Highlight your experience with the presentations?
Operations managers are needed to communicate effectively inside and out the organization. They frequently represent companies in conferences and meetings because they are highly qualified to present the details of expansion and growth, plans and prospects, and discuss any current projects.
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Q.45 State the involvement of an operations manager with individual employees?
The scope of operations manager's is broad, but s/he deals with office regulations, discipline and small scale conflicts as well. It is often the operations manager's role to reduce the personal conflicts or grievances by being focused and communicating effectively with individual employees.
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Q.46 What skills do you consider important for success in this position?
It involves a quick learning/thinking and problem solving agility, leadership and communication skills. Elucidate how you really have a background in these.
For instance: 'You have used your communication skills and leadership abilities to manage changes and to deal with all levels of personnel.'
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Q.47 What duties have you handled daily as an operation manager?
There are various tasks involved in an operations manager's position, from preparing budgets for programs, arranging facilities and ensuring coordinated movement from site to site, making inventory control and logistics, being an employees' supervisor, conducting job interviews etc.
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Q.48 What are the roles and responsibilities of an operations manager?
An Operations Managers monitor the work of the different departments within an organization, or of different companies and organizations. They are completely trained, highly qualified professionals with great and complex responsibilities.
Operations managers design policies, plan human and technical resources, manage day to day tasks. They are involved in almost all aspect of company operations at once, while their overall goal is to provide and support the most effective methods of operation.
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Q.49 What is the objective of an operations manager?
To ensure that the organization is running as smoothly and efficiently as possible and that the goods and/or services produced meet client or customer needs, are all involved in an operations manager's aim.
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Q.50 Who is an operations manager?
An operations manager is a senior positioned employee, of an organization who oversees the production of goods and/or providing of services.
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