THE 4’Ms of Operations
another.
First timer in business must familiarize themselves with
the 4’ms of operations. These will help them seize
business opportunities quickly. Individuals who
believe in the adage that success knocks but once”
will be able to create pioneering business that can
help them attain their business goals.
Operations Plan- an important part of the business
plan because it simply states the details in operating
the business
Operations Management- controls the
implementation of the business plan. A strong
operations plan should have the four operational
aspects called the 4Ms of Operations
ORG AND
MANAGE
MENT
4’Ms of operation and their relationships to business
opportunities:
1. Methods- the process to be followed in effectively
manufacturing or delivering a product or service. It is
the day-to-day operations of a business. Internally,
the process must abide with industry standards and
policies.
3 Elements of Manufacturing
1. Inputs- the materials or ingredients to be used in
creating the product
2. Process- the transformation phase where inputs are
processed by manpower and machines to come up
with the final product.
3. Output- the final product of the process stage,
which is intended to be sold to target customers
Manufacturing Site- the manufacturing process will
take place.
A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant
is an industrial site, usually consisting of buildings and
machinery, or more commonly a complex having
several buildings, where workers manufacture goods
or operate machines processing one product into
Home-based- this option is the cheapest and highly
flexible. Most start-ups do not have the capacity to
establish a manufacturing site.
Commercial space for rent-this advisable if the
business really requires a commercial space for the
processing of goods and if the home option is not
viable anymore. It gives the entrepreneur a more
specialized and suited manufacturing site than
manufacturing at home
VIABLE - capable of working successfully
Commercial space purchase- acquire (something) by payin
this option requires the biggest amount of capital
expenditure, but it also provides the entrepreneur
substantial freedom and flexibility to design and run
the commercial space.
LOCATION-for delivery of raw materials and finished
goods, the transportation routes from manufacturing
site should be efficient. It should be accessible to
major types of transportation vehicles. It must
operate in an environmental-friendly manner.
INTERNAL LAYOUT/FLOOR PLAN- affects efficiency of
business operations. Each space should be
maximized to save on manufacturing cost.
Product-based layout- facilities are prearranged
according to the flow of the manufacturing
operations.
Process-based layout- facilities are grouped
according to their function
MANUFACTURING PROCESS FLOW- a step by step
guide of the employees and the manufacturing
equipment. The objective of The Process flow is to
ensure that the right inputs are properly used in
production, that the process is performed according
to the set standards, and that the acceptable
outputs are produced
2.) Manpower.
 Ideal number of people will take to perform
these methods and what positions should
they be in?
 How will personnel be trained and measured
for performance/
 What is the cycle time of each part of the
method?
 many organizations have pointed out, their
employees are their most valuable resource.
 Goods and services cannot be produced
without manpower. Even the latest, fastest,
and most precise machines cannot function
unless operated by an individual.
3. Machine.

 state-of-the art machines and equipment

facilitate the processing of raw materials into
finished products. In some public and private
institutions, machines record, sort and
interpret volumes of data in real time, fast-
tracking the completion of multiple
transactions.
 Do all employees have access to the same
tools , if needed?
 Do the tools enable them to perform tasks
independently? Are they trained on how to
maintain the machinery and tools?

4.) Materials-

 a steady and sufficient supply of quality raw

materials ensures the continuous production
of goods and eventually, their sale to end
users.
 Needed in a place to perform all parts of
production and are they conveniently
located to minimize waste.

Example: all material needed to clean and package

are always available and ate in place to minimize
effort. Does the layout of the production department
minimize wasted movement?