• How do our existing manufacturing capabilities limit or constrain product design? What portion of these constraints is truly unchangeable and what portion is bureaucratic, procedural, cultural, and/or political?
• Will our next-generation (or generation-after-next) products require radically new materials or processes? If so, what are we doing now to prepare our manufacturing organization to incorporate those new materials or procedures?
• How much do our product

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Subject: Operations Questions

• If we were freed from the tasks we are doing today, what could we do to increase the shareholder value (in other words, the competitive advantage) of our company?
• What tasks are we doing today that we would be willing to surrender, as long as we were sure they would be handled correctly?

Source:
Directions in Collaborative Commerce: Managing the Extended Enterprise
by … [ Read more ]

Subject: Operations Questions

1. Which value chain issues are most troublesome for your company (e.g., customer retention)?
2. Which pain points do you have with key trade partners that hurt your revenue potential or increase your costs? Or impede your competitiveness?
3. Which competitive capabilities do you believe your competitors are better at? How critical are these to your business?
4. Do you have visibility of demand, inventory, and/ or product availability

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Subject: Operations Questions

1. Every product has a well-defined service, manufacturing and inventory deployment strategy?
2. We have a comprehensive and effective sales and operations planning process that is management’s throttle on sales, production, inventory and lead-time?
3. We have agreements with key vendors for short cycle deliveries and mutually agreed upon goals for continuous improvement?
4. Will improved supply chain management performance give us the leverage to transform ourselves into market place leaders?
5. Have

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Subject: Operations Questions

1. Do your suppliers have lower operating costs than yours, and do you get low prices from suppliers?
2. Do your suppliers provide you with product or process innovations?
3. Do your suppliers have products and processes of the best quality?
4. Do your suppliers reduce your costs and risk in product launches?
5. Are your suppliers financially healthy?
6. Do you formulate unique plans for each supplier to help you build competitive advantage?
7. Does your supplier

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Subject: Operations Questions

1. What aspects of your supply chain have the most influence on your brand promise and your customers’ buying experience?
2. Is your brand promise aligned with your current supply chain capabilities?
3. How can you ensure that marketing executives know your supply chain’s capabilities and limitations while supply chain executives know the brand promise and their role in fulfilling it?

Source:
How Your Supply Chain … [ Read more ]

Subject: Operations Questions

• What do you want to do, and how will you know when you’ve done it?
• Who are the intended beneficiaries?
• What benefits do our programs create?
• What do we want to maximize?
• How do we define success?
• What won’t we do?
• What would make us obsolete?
• What do you think your beneficiaries need in order to achieve the intended impact?
• What are the most important elements

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Subject: Nonprofit Questions

• Which of your goals are “must have” vs. “would like to have?”
• What will you say if the other parry says “no” to your opening offer?
• What concessions are you willing to make? (Check with your accountant about such issues as payment terms and tax implications.)
• What credible excuse can you give if you need to buy time to confer with others and/or think about an offer

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Subject: Negotiation Questions

Traditional Measurement Needs
Financial

• Are we focusing on the right financial measures to judge the success of our company/divisions/units?
• How much of our value is reflected in our balance sheet? Do we have the right balance between financial and non-financial measures to address key intangible assets beyond the balance sheet?

Operational

• Do we have the right short-term operational measures in place to respond

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Subject: Metrics Questions

• Will overall sales strategy – as well as individual company and product strategies – be enhanced by an integrated sales force?
• Is there a large overlap among potential customer segments?
• Do companies market products to common customer segments?
• Do the products require similar types of sales skills?
• Does the sales force contact the same type/level of decision maker?
• Are customers generally amenable to the merger?

Source:
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Subject: Mergers and Acquisitions Questions