Transforming Field and Service Operations : Methodologies for Successful Technology-Driven Business Transformation

edited by Gilbert Owusu, Paul O’Brien, John McCall, Neil F. Doherty

The drive to realise operational efficiencies, improve customer service, develop new markets, and accelerate the introduction of new products has substantially increased the complexity of field service operations. To maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of these operations, organisations have embarked on a wide range of transformation programmes that have sought to introduce automation through the use of workforce management technologies. Despite the potential business value that can be provided by such transformation programmes, too often, the automation technologies have not been fully utilised and their expected benefits have as such not been realised. Scholars of organisation change argue that the success of any transformation programme is a function of how well the technical, political, structural and social aspects of a specific project have been managed. The objective of this edited book is to provide insights into how organisations might successfully transform their field service operations with the help of workforce management technologies. Accordingly, the book is organised into four sections: Section A “The Case for Transforming Service and Field Operations” explains the rationale as to why organisations should actively consider transforming their service and field operations, while Section B presents various “Methods, Models and Enabling Technologies for Transforming Service and Field Operations”. In Section C, a number of “Case Studies” illustrate how new technologies can be applied to field and service operations to deliver concrete business benefits. Lastly, Section D considers “Challenges, Outcomes and Future Directions”. Overall, this book provides valuable insights into how to successfully transform field service operations with automated technologies. It draws on years of experience from different industries, and from different perspectives on realising change. It is aimed at managers, technologists, change agents and scholars who are interested in field service operations in general, and the use of advanced computing technologies in this area in particular

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Year of publication:	2013
Authors:	Owusu, Gilbert
Other Persons:	O'Brien, Paul (ed.) ; McCall, John (ed.) ; Doherty, Neil F. (ed.)
Publisher:	Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Subject:	Organisatorischer Wandel \| Organizational change \| Prozessmanagement \| Business process management \| Betriebliches Informationssystem \| Business intelligence system \| Automatisierung \| Automation \| Produktionsorganisation \| Organisationswandel
Description of contents:	Description [swbplus.bsz-bw.de]

Extent:	Online-Ressource (XIX, 277 p. 73 illus., 8 illus. in color, online resource)
Series:	SpringerLink / Bücher
Type of publication:	Book / Working Paper
Type of publication (narrower categories):	Aufsatzsammlung
Language:	English
Notes:	Description based upon print version of record Foreword; Introduction; Part I: The Case for Transforming Service and Field Operations; Part II: Methods, Models and Enabling Technologies for Transforming Service and Field Operations; Part III: Case Studies; Part IV: Challenges, Outcomes and Future Directions; Acknowledgements; Contents; List of Contributors; Part I: The Case for Transforming Service and Field Operations; Chapter 1: IT Exploitation Through Business Transformation: Experiences and Implications; 1.1 Introduction; 1.2 The Commoditisation of Information Technology; 1.3 The Organisational Impacts of IT 1.4 Do IT Investment Projects Deliver Value?1.5 Moving Towards an IT Exploitation Agenda; 1.6 Conclusions; References; Chapter 2: Transforming Field and Service Operations with Automation; 2.1 Introduction; 2.2 Service Production Management: Challenges in Realising an ERP for Service Industries; 2.2.1 Background; 2.2.2 Management of Change; 2.2.3 Introduction of New Technology; 2.3 Realising a Successful Service Production Management Implementation; 2.3.1 Maturity Framework: The 4 Cs; 2.3.2 Innovation-Driven Development; 2.4 Case Study: BT´s Optimisation and Planning for Field Engineers 2.5 Control of Workflow2.6 Increased Efficiency Through Simplicity; 2.7 Conclusions; References; Part II: Methods, Models and Enabling Technologies for Transforming Service and Field Operations; Chapter 3: Designing Effective Operations: Balancing Multiple Business Objectives Using Simulation Models; 3.1 Introduction; 3.2 Different Approaches to the Complexity Problem; 3.2.1 The Problem of Complexity; 3.2.2 Current Organisational Approaches; 3.2.3 A New Approach; 3.3 Characterisation of the Organisation and Its Environment; 3.3.1 Characterising the Organisation: Cybernetics 3.3.2 Characterising the Environment: Dimensions of Variety3.4 The Model; 3.4.1 Constructing the Model; 3.4.2 Control Loops and Information Flows; 3.4.3 Simulations to Explore Process Robustness; 3.5 Insights; 3.5.1 Balancing Performance Metrics; 3.5.2 The Effects of Enterprise Data Quality on Performance; 3.5.2.1 Technical, Organisational and Human Aspects; 3.6 Conclusions; 3.6.1 Practices; 3.6.2 Organisational Decision-Making; References; Chapter 4: System Dynamics Models of Field Force Operations; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 Modelling Service Operations 4.2.1 The `Hydraulics´ Approach and Field Operations4.2.2 Dynamic vs. Detail Complexity; 4.2.3 Methodology: Performance, Targets and Tension; 4.2.4 Testing the `Tension´ Hypothesis; 4.2.5 Modelling Resource Adjustments; 4.3 Simulation Experiments; 4.3.1 Simplified Model; 4.3.2 Simulation Results; 4.3.2.1 Overview; 4.3.2.2 Spike in Demand; 4.3.2.3 Reduction in Target Cycle Time; 4.3.2.4 Demand Variability; 4.3.3 Uncertainty Analysis; 4.4 Case Study: Modelling the Field Operations of a Major Line of Business; 4.5 Challenges and Limitations; 4.6 Conclusions; References Chapter 5: Understanding the Risks of Forecasting
ISBN:	978-3-642-44970-3 ; 978-3-642-44969-7
Other identifiers:	10.1007/978-3-642-44970-3 [DOI]
Source:	ECONIS - Online Catalogue of the ZBW

Persistent link: https://ebvufind01.dmz1.zbw.eu/10014017424