Questions 1 – Do you think Marco Van Hopen understands the importance of operations to his business?

This question can be used to discuss the issue of what a full understanding of operations and process management means in any business. During this discussion it is useful to point out the difference between the technical knowledge that is embedded in any operation or process on one hand, and the tasks that are necessary to run the operation or process on the other. Marco Van Hopen is clearly knowledgeable and certainly enthusiastic because of his knowledge of the task.

He regards production services in particular, as being an exciting and high adrenalin business to be in. This is why he started the company. As the company has grown he has become aware of how important it is to organize the company’s operations internally. This has been forced on him because of the growth of the company. What was acceptable for a relatively small group is no longer viable for a large business. Individual processes and the needs of the customers they service (internal or external) must be identified, and they must be designed and organized to meet these needs. From the various statements attributed to Marco, he is now coming to see this.

He is also beginning to understand the nature of the relationships between the various processes within his business. In particular, the sometimes-conflicting needs of sales and hiring on one hand and production services on the other are becoming evident.

So the answer to the question, ‘Does he understand the importance of operations’? most likely is, ‘Yes, but not as yet fully’.