Page 291 - DMGT206_PRODUCTION_AND_OPERATIONS_MANAGEMENT

Production and Operations Management

Notes This process enables the manager’s mind to grasp the process in its entirety as well as to think in
terms of allocating resources, assign responsibilities, and measure and control the schedule, for
every task and sub-task.

Once the Gantt charts are drawn up, we start comparing our actual, ground-level performance
against what was planned. This comparison is possible by checking the progress reports against
the Gantt charts.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
7. Gantt charts were developed in the 1910’s by……………… .
8. The Gantt chart takes two basic forms which are the job or activity progress chart and the
……………… chart.
9 After the Gantt charts are drawn up, we start comparing our actual, ground-level
performance against what was ……………… .



Caselet Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited

he Indian oil industry was brought under government control after the oil crisis in
the 1970’s. On January 24, 1976, the Burmah Shell Group of Companies was taken
Tover by the Government of India to form Bharat Refineries Limited. On August 1,
1977, it was renamed Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL).
After liberalization, under the economic reform process, the private sector entered several
areas within the industry and emergence of additional capacities in the region in refining
and marketing. Added competition, due to the opening up of the Indian economy, brought
in other challenges. Provoked by the phased dismantling of the Administered Pricing
Mechanism (APM), and anticipating radical changes in the business environment after
deregulation, BPCL undertook a massive exercise for preparing itself to face these
challenges.

BPCL’s change initiative started towards the end of 1996 with the help of Arthur D Little,
Inc. (ADL). ADL’s methodology involved a cross-section of the organization in co-creating
a vision for the company, determining its current reality, conceptualizing the gaps between
vision and current reality, and finally evolving a change plan to bridge these gaps.

BPCL has always enjoyed the image of a progressive organization. It is, in fact, the only
Indian company to have won the CIO Global 100 award for its use of technology and
forward looking human resource (HR) policies. Also, it was the only public sector
organization to figure in the top ten best employers in India in the Business Today survey
in 2001.
In tangible terms, the change plan resulted in restructuring and radical delayering of the
organization. The function-based structure was carefully dismantled and replaced with a
process-based one, to make the company more responsive to its customer needs. The
entire change plan necessitated effective integration and was premised on a massive
increase in the information intensity of the organization. It involved change process that

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