Optics and Metrics: Operations Management
Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper that describes Optics: The Line of Site and Metrics Equal Focus.
Include the following key points your paper:
- Define optics, and provide an example of one at your place of employment or in your research.
- Explain how metrics can equal focus.
- Propose an idea on why and how you would use optics and metrics to improve an organization based upon the information from the text and your own personal experience with metrics.
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.
Introduction: Definition of Optics
Optics, or the line of sight, refers to seeing and acting on the areas that matter in a business (Dimon, 2013). In the business world, optics work to integrate and coordinate all operations and departments to improve productivity. Optics have to align with the overall business strategy or be fully integrated into a holistic business strategy to reap the right outcomes. According to (Dimon, 2013), enterprise performance management (EPM) supports the alignment and development of this holistic approach, helping set clarity around ownership, consumption, and accountability. Largely termed as the line of sight, optics guide business leaders and managers in visually digesting business data and information. This helps managers gain new business insights, enabling them to make sound and informed business decisions.
In project execution, optics assist managers in formulating executable policies, tactics, and strategies, helping ensure that the executed strategies are aligned to the desired and anticipated outcomes by the company (Dimon, 2013). This implies that optics hold all functional leaders, CEO, CIO, CFO, and CMO innovative in response to the overall business needs and goals. In the course of sales and marketing strategy, or corporate strategy formulation, optics guide organizations in undertaking healthy check-up exercises to realize the set vision, mission, and overall goals. Here, EPM ensures that strategic alignment remains an ongoing process (Majumdar, 2014). Besides, EPM helps organizations more flexible and responsive in the processes of strategy execution, formulation, and overall business model. This paper will describe optics: the line of sight and metrics equal focus.
Example of Optics at the Workplace
In business management, optics are in the form of data visualization tools. These include balanced scorecards, reports, alerts, dashboards, and other data visualization tools. Thus, firms use different optics to gain insight into different business processes based on the need. Depending on the area, for example, accounting and finance, procurement, HR management, sales and marketing, customer relationship management, or data analytics, different optics are applied (Gray, 2017). In the department of finance, for example, accounting reports and spreadsheet dashboards are the common types of optics adopted for data analysis, gaining of insight, and decision making. Another good example of optics in the workplace is the balanced scorecard. A balanced scorecard encompasses the learning and growth, customer, internal processes, and financial aspects of strategic alignment within the business. Scorecards help measure customer satisfaction rates, employee performance levels, training needs, financial growth, business processes growth, and more. Therefore, the choice of optics depends on the problem at hand, the business objective, and the available resources. No matter which optic is chosen, optics must be real-time, user-friendly, seamless, and aligned to the overall strategic goals of the organization (Dimon, 2013).