DISCOVERY II OPERATIONS SIMULATION
"Investments in Systems and Managing Change"
Learning Points:
The
simulation demonstrates three different types of manufacturing systems, MRP,
JIT and Cellular. Each period of simulation, lasting approximately 15 minutes,
is set up as one of these systems. Participants are given functional roles
within an organisation's operation and are challenged to meet customer demand
for product, by actually piecing together plastic bricks. Between each period
observations and comparisons are drawn out by the participants led by the
facilitator.
As a business grows it becomes necessary to review and invest in the systems and methods used by managers to manage. The impact of implementing new systems on employees in operations is almost always underestimated. In order to capture the potential financial gains from making such investments managers should understand the concepts of the new system and the likely difficulties that will be encountered in it's introduction.
The
simulation software is configured to run the different operational models
one period at a time. The functional roles the participants undertake depend
on the actual type of system being demonstrated at the time. The computer
display screen guides the process and applies customer demand to the group.
Using keypads the participants interact with the system as they would a
full-scale installation. The captured data is dynamically analysed to show
progress during each period and provides information for further analysis
and learning discussions between periods.
| Item | ABT Supply | ||
| Participant numbers: | • | Between 12 and 40 | |
| Software required: | • | Licenced ABT DiscoveryII module | Yes |
| Equipment needed: | • | Set
of Participator keypads and receiver |
Yes |
| • | Set of plastic bricks | Yes | |
| • | PC | ||
| • | PC projector | ||
| • | Power supply | ||
| Facilities: | • | Enough space for all participants to see a centrally projected screen | |
| • | Plan for participants to be moved into groups | ||
| Facilitator: | • | Familiarity with software and concepts | Yes |
| Technical assistance | • | For large groups | Yes |