Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Small, medium and micro enterprises are important contributors to the economic and
socioeconomic development of South Africa. However, most enterprises struggle to
become established. The high rate of failure is due to a lack of access to finance,
poor managerial and technical skills, and also the competitive business environment.
The focus of this research report is on the development of a continuous and sustainable
internal process improvement roadmap that provides skill constrained small business
managers with strategic and technical support, in order to make their organisations
more competitive in the current business environment, without expensive consultation.
The first step toward the development of the roadmap is discussed as a ten step basic
process improvement cycle, based on an interpretation of the PDCA cycle. These ten
steps provide most of the methods that are needed for practical implementation of
improvement activities. However, this approach needs strategic support in order to
ensure that improvement activities focus on the critical improvement opportunities.
The second step regards the identification of strategic support, and additional
improvement methods, to align improvement activities toward the critical improvement
opportunities, which represent a common goal. Three methodologies are discussed
as individual roadmaps to determine the crucial aspects that can be integrated into a
holistic management roadmap, which accommodates practical improvement. These
methodologies are lean thinking, theory of constraints, and the six sigma philosophy.
The final roadmap is then developed, based on the principle that perspectives can be
used to develop the perception of people toward improvement. Different perspectives
are identified from the studied improvement methodologies, and the execution of
improvement activities is then supported with the basic process improvement cycle. The perspectives are categorised into three main perspectives. First, the organisational
perspective provides an overview of the philosophy, people, and process. Second,
the primary process perspective provides an overview of the critical process aspects;
value, throughput, and quality. Third, the secondary process perspective connects
these critical process aspects in terms of effectiveness, agility, and efficiency. The
roadmap is then completed when management can transcend above perspective. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Klein, medium en mikro ondernemings is belangrike bydraers tot die ekonomiese en
sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling van Suid-Afrika. Meeste ondernemings sukkel egter
om gevestig te raak. Die hoë koers van mislukking is weens ‘n gebrek aan finansiële
toegang, swak bestuurs en tegniese vaardighede, en die mededingende sake-omgewing.
Die fokus van hierdie navorsingsverslag is op die onwikkeling van ‘n deurlopende en
volhoubare interne proses verbeterings padkaart wat klein besigheid bestuurders
verskaf met strategiese en tegniese ondersteuning, sonder duur konsultasie, ten
einde hul organisasies meer mededingend the maak in die huidige sake-omgewing.
Die eerste stap vir die onwikkeling van die padkaart word bespreek as ‘n tien stap
basiese verbetering siklus, gebaseer op ‘n intrepretasie van die PDCA siklus. Hierdie
stappe voorsien meeste van die metodes wat nodig is vir praktiese implementering
van verbetering aktiwiteite. Die benadering moet egter strategies ondersteun word om
te verseker dat verbetering aktiwiteite op die kritieke verbeterings geleenthede fokus.
Die tweede stap word bespreek vir die identifisering van strategiese ondersteuning,
asook addisionele verbetering metodes, om verbetering aktiwiteite in lyn te bring met
kritiese verbeterings geleenthede, wat ‘n gemeenskaplike doel verteenwoordig. Drie
metodieke word bespreek as individuele padkaarte om die deurslaggewende aspekte
te bepaal wat geïntegreer kan word in ‘n bestuurs padkaart, wat praktiese verbetering
akkomodeer. Die metodieke is “lean thinking”, “theory of constraints”, en “six sigma”.
Die finale padkaart word dan ontwikkel, gebasseer op die beginsel dat perspektiewe
gebruik kan word om mense se persepsie van verbetering te ontwikkel. Verskillende
perspektiewe is geïndentifiseer vanuit die verbetering metodieke, en die uitvoering
van verbeterings aktiwiteite word dan ondersteun met die basiese verbeterings siklus. Die perspektiewe is ingedeel in drie hoof perspektiewe. Eerste, die organisatoriese
perspektief verskaf ‘n hoë vlak oorsig van die filosofie, mense, en proses. Tweede,
die primêre proses perspektief verskaf ‘n oorsig van die kritiese proses aspekte;
waarde, deurset, en kwaliteit. Derde, die sekondêre proses perspektief verbind die
proses aspekte in terme van effektiwiteit, aanpasbaarheid, en doeltreffendheid. Die
padkaart word dan eindelik voltooi wanneer die bestuur perspektief te bowe kan kom.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/97127 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Winterbach, Francois |
| Contributors | Von Leipzig, Konrad H., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 190 pages : illustrations |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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