Stage 1

1) Tell us how you go about the varying needs of different customers? How far do you go to
understand and satisfy them?
2) Tell us more about the quality aspects of your products. How much does it vary and how
do you ensure that majority of your products are as per customer specifications? What
measures have been taken to mitigate low quality and complaints? How far can you go
to cut costs and at the same time ensure quality?
3) How uptodate are you with the technology? Do you introduce it only when it is necessary
or is it a routine?
4) Do you exercise control over your workforce as the strength is less?
5) How often does top management get involved in the operations process? How much
control do they exercise in day to day work? Does quality have any impact on the level of
involvement of top management?
6) Is the responsibility of operations limited to supply of the specified product ? What other
functions do you think Operations is performing apart from what has been mandated?
7) How much do you think Operations contribute to the Organizational performance? What
can be done to improve that? What kind of steps do you usually take to minimize the
negative impacts which the performance of your department can have on the overall
performance of the organization?

Stage 2
1. How do you assess what are your customers expectations?
2. How is it conveyed throughout the organization?
3. Do you think that quality of your product meets the customer expectation? - Parameters?
4. Do you have a future plan for companys operations? If so, for how many months you
revisit them?
5. Do you think it is relevant for you to plan for operations management for more than few
months?
6. What are the latest technologies that have been recently been adopted by your
organization? What was the trigger point for that? - cost savings or quality improvement
or competition
7. How are the workforce guided to achieve the set objectives or manufacture a product?
Do you have any set of procedures/benchmarks for your workforce?
8. Is there a set process evaluation period wherein you evaluate your current operations?
9. How do you come to know that a process is not working as it should be and it requires
improvisation?
10. Do you allocate resources on process improvement/innovation time to time or as and
when need arises?
11. How do you go about improving the process ?? Competitor benchmarking or expert
advice or employee advice?
12. How do you analyse the performance of your companys operational performance? Do
you have any benchmark?
 13. Do you look at how other companies in your sector are performing or you feel your
objective and other companies objectives are different to be compared?

Stage 3

1. Are you aware of your organisations strategy? Do you think your companys operations
is in sync with your organisations strategy?
2. While taking any decision on companys operations, do you consider the activities of
other departments such as marketing, sales, and HR?
3. Do you have a choice on set of procedures that the operations workforce should adhere
to?
4. Does your workforce has permissions to choose from number of alternative procedures?

Stage 4

1. Do you take feedback from your customers for improving the operations of your
organisation and to introduce new products in market?
2. Do other departments (Marketing, Sales, HR, and Finance) consult Operations head
before taking any decision?
3. Do you give your operations workers freedom to choose their own way of working?
4. Do you invest any kind of resources in improving the processes of companys operations
in-house?
5. Do the operations head of your organization participate in forming the organisations
strategy?
6. Do you continuously assess the potential of new technology? What is the factor which
drives the introduction of new technology in your company?
7. What are your long term programs to acquire operational capabilities which could make
you industry leader?

Introduction of new technology

-- To get competitive edge -- Stage 4
-- To enhance service/product - stage 3
-- To justify cost savings -- stage 2
-- necessary for our survival -- stage 1