Uncertainty management in engineering-service development: the role of organisational capabilities

PurposeEngineering-service (ES) development is characterised by high uncertainty, the management of which is crucial for the success of the offering during the provision of ESs. This paper studies suitable organisational capabilities to address different uncertainty types.Design/methodology/approachBased on conceptualisation of individual uncertainty types and organisational capabilities, this study investigated their empirical links through six case studies of ES development projects. The data consisted of 64 semi-structured interviews, 10 weeks of observational data and 166 supporting documents describing the projects.FindingsThe findings provide empirical evidence for four distinct uncertainty types (environmental, organisational, technical and relational uncertainty) and the organisational capabilities needed for addressing them. The authors identified unique dominant capabilities for each uncertainty type (commercialisation for environmental uncertainty, coordination for organisational and technical uncertainty, and relational capabilities for relational uncertainty), which were complemented with supporting capabilities, including project management and integration.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the service operations literature by merging previously separate research streams on uncertainty and organisational capabilities in ESs and servitization. Through this merge, this study offers a more coherent understanding by extending previously sporadic insights into specific links between individual uncertainty types and individual capabilities.

Predicting delays in service operations

Delays constitute a key challenge in the management of service operations, causing substantial quality and cost issues. Delays in one service event can cause delays in another service event and so on, which creates challenges in the management of complex services. Assuming a lower-triangular matrix formalism, we develop a novel approach to modelling such chains of delays in complex service operations such as health care and software development. This approach can enable service managers to identify, understand, predict and control delays. Our research provides a novel theoretical contribution to the literature on service delays.

Unsettled Issues Regarding First- and Last-mile Transport

Sustainable first/last/only-mile (FLO-mile) transport is the key to sustainable travel. It could directly replace private car use for short urban journeys, which account for 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. More importantly, it could enable public transport to be used for longer journeys, which account for 6% of emissions. Active travel, such as walking and cycling, has the lowest emissions and provides huge economic benefits that pay for the required infrastructure many times over. Unsettled Issues Regarding First- and Last-Mile Transport discusses the mass switch to more sustainable modes of transport and how to increase their perceived value to users. It also covers the prioritization of publicly owned cycles over rideshare options due to the latter’s higher lifecycle emissions, including manufacture, redistribution, and service operations and station construction.

Monitoring the Nonconforming Fraction with a Dynamic Scheme When Sample Sizes are Time-varying

In many practical applications, it is more convenient to characterize the quality of production processes or service operations throughout the count of nonconformities. In the context of SPC, nonconformities are usually assumed to appear according to the binomial probability model. The conventional way for monitoring nonconformities involves Shewhart-type control procedures based on both constant and time-varying sample sizes. In this article, an EWMA scheme is proposed for monitoring the fraction of nonconforming items with time-varying sample sizes. The proposed control chart is referred to as the EWMAG-B and can be easily adapted to work with a constant sample size by fixing it at a needed value. By means of simulation, it was found out that the EWMAG-B chart outperforms the conventional p control chart in Phase II while detecting changes in the process level is wanted.

How COVID-19 Will Change Health, Hospitality and Senior Facility Design

Background: Based on recent experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic, designers and design researchers are crafting guidelines for the development of future environments. In this context, this paper focuses on future best practices regarding environments for health, hospitality and senior care.Methods: An extensive literature review was conducted, the results of which were distributed to a group of experts (N=12) specializing in health, hospitality and design. After receiving their input, expert focus groups were conducted to further explore the proposed concepts. The document was revised based on the contributions of these field experts, resubmitted for additional input, and ultimately summarized in this paper.Results: Based on the literature review and expert input, dozens of recommendations were made regarding post-COVID health, hospitality and seniors environments. Healthcare facilities will require additional space, access to the outdoors, service hubs, and additional infrastructure to all conversion of garages for emergency use. Hospitality settings will employ new cleaning methods, use of robotics, improved HVAC, Wellness programming, workspace options, and flexible food service operations. Senior facilities will engage more technology, socially distance visiting facilities, increase access to nature, and smaller scale residential clusters.Discussion: By considering health and hospitality simultaneously, we come to understand the symbiotic benefits of applying goals from one sector to the other. Senior living environments are an excellent example of this approach in action. By implementing some of the proposed design recommendations generated by this research, we will be better prepared to face future challenges.

Mohalla Clinic: A Case on Healthcare Service Operations and Quality

The study presents a case study on service operations and service quality aspects of Mohalla Clinics, the public healthcare service setups in the innermost densely inhibited, yet unserved urban neighbourhoods of National Capital Territory of Delhi. It also describes the scalability consideration of public healthcare services. The case presents analysis of operational challenges in delivery of public healthcare services in developing countries. It characterizes the public healthcare service offering by the elements of service package and illustrates the adoption of service blueprint as a tool for service process planning. Additionally, it allows to comprehend the phenomena of quality management in healthcare service delivery and adoption of technology-driven innovations in healthcare service delivery. The case illustrates the challenges of healthcare operations and health service design in the low-cost and high-volume environments.