Programme Manager,Operations

Programme Manager,Operations

Case Study

Aizawl, Mizoram

Written Exercise:

As an Operations Program Manager, you will be responsible for the managing and analyzing operations processes, as well as evaluating systems for executing on all core school-level ( Learning Materials), and direct support at the RwandaEQUIP schools. You will be held accountable for the coordinated execution or delivery of often multi-team, cross departmental systems and processes.

There are two main factors we are testing in this exercise. The first element we are evaluating is your systems/processes-driven approach. We want to gauge your ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative data and to use that data to recommend systems or processes that will make us more efficient and more effective.

The second element we are looking for is a mixture of problem solving skills and creativity. We want to see how you respond to the very real types of issues we deal with in Operations. Your job is to provide your insights and to propose solutions, allowing us an opportunity to follow your thought process and to see your ability to reach logical conclusions. Both of these factors will be considered throughout all four areas below.

The questions below are stand-alone questions. You do not need nor should you carry over any elements from one question to the next. We would expect your total responses to all 3 questions combined to be approximately between 2-5 typed pages, but there is no minimum or maximum requirement.

SUPPLIES: At NewGlobe, as well as with the different projects that we run, we produce our own textbooks. Many of these textbooks change every term. Sometimes, we do re-use a textbook in a future academic year. In 2014, we have 10 Term 1 textbook titles that are 100% identical to 10 Term 1 textbook titles of 2013. That means that for all schools that were open in 2013, they already have these 10 titles. For any school newly opening in 2014, they will need these 10 titles brand new because they dont have any textbooks yet.

What process/system would you create to determine what quantities of these specific 10 titles of textbooks should be ordered?

While the existing (pre-2014) academies should have copies of all of these 10 titles, would you still order any of these titles for those schools? If yes, how much? Why?

We always like to maintain some supply of buffer stock at our warehouse to address any new problems as the academic term begins. What kinds of data would you need to determine the appropriate buffer levels specifically for these 10 titles?

SUPPLIES: The Operations Programme Manager coordinates the availability of items at the schools and therefore is responsible for advising the Supply Chain Department, via excel sheet updates, on items & quantities to be shipped to schools on a weekly basis. You have just received a mail from the Quality Assurance Director that during the routine audit checks at the schools today, it was discovered that the items and quantities 10 different items required at varying quantities, shipped two weeks ago were wrong. So far, feedback has been gotten from 6 out of the 48 schools confirming this error.

What will be your immediate response to this email? What could have been responsible for this error?

BE SPECIFIC on the steps you will take to

Identify the extent/impact of this error,

Get immediate cost effective resolution,

Process improvement to ensure this situation does not reoccur and

if it does reoccur, process that will ensure timely and seamless resolution

TEACHER TABLET PROBLEM: A teacher relies 100% on the company-provided electronic tablet device (Teacher Tablet) to deliver lessons. The tablet literally tells the teacher exactly what to say, and exactly when to say it, for every single lesson of every single day. Imagine you are an Operations Programme Manager who oversees the distribution, operation, and troubleshooting of teacher tablets across the entire RwandaEQUIP network. Suppose that a school calls in to Customer Care to report that a teachers tablet is not working at all.

What are the first questions that you would ask? BE SPECIFIC. What details would you try to capture? Describe your approach to handling this problem.

Suppose that the questions you asked in (a) above regardless of what the answers to those questions were provide you with a full picture of the problem you are dealing with. You have a clear diagnosis of the problem. But the bottom line is that this tablet is completely out of service for the day. There is no troubleshooting or simple fix to be enacted. This teacher simply will not have a tablet today, period. At this point, what is your most important priority and why? What other ideas do you have for resolving the situation?

Shift your priorities away from the immediacy of todays failure, and explain where you go from here. What communication needs to be provided, and to whom? What happens tomorrow? How will you pick up the pieces of this

problem that is no longer preventable/solvable, but has actually affected operations for an entire day?

Take a step back from the specifics of this problem, and think now about big picture solutions. What systems or processes would you design, create, and implement to avoid or minimize these situations in the future?

Data Exercise

You have been given a set of data dumped from the ticketing system and several pieces of information in the workbook below. Make a copy and name it with your name and role you are applying for.

- Territory allocation for area managers and regional managers of the Schools team

- Reporting lines for all staff

- Areas of responsibilities by tickets according to their dispositions / classifications

- SLA that the owners have agreed to for the closure of the tickets they are responsible for

Question 1

1. How many of January Tickets are resolved or closed in Total? Also express the answer as a percentage of all tickets.

Question 2

2a. Which top 3 Caller Types have the most tickets out of all the tickets?

2b. How many Quarter 1 Tickets fall under the Caller Type - Academy Manager?

Question 3

3a. Days delayed (against SLA) to close a ticket - Which Staff Member is the most delayed on average?

3b. Days delayed (against SLA) to close a ticket - Which Manager is the 2nd most delayed on average?

3c. Days delayed (against SLA) to close a ticket - Which Director is the most delayed on average?

3d. Days delayed (against SLA) to close a ticket - Where does the Director, Operations rank?

Question 4

4a. Give 2 reasons why Staff are not complying with their respective SLAs?

4b. How would you improve SLA compliance?

Note: Please follow the instructions on the Spreadsheet carefully