Designing for Operational Efficiency

Abstract

Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) are essential for every economy due to their impact on economic development, especially for emerging countries. It is crucial to provide them with support in developing and implementing strategies that promote their growth, thereby enhancing the broader economy. This thesis project utilized a medium-sized enterprise as a case study to investigate MSMEs in the Philippines. The primary objective was to align its operations with its strategy of offering a wide range of low-priced products while providing personalized customer service. The project used the Double Diamond by the British Design Council as a framework to approach the project, employing different design methods and tools. The findings revealed the pressing issues are low stock availability, lack of customer-centric experience, and efficient operational processes. From this, the design challenge was centered on redesigning the order fulfillment process service blueprint of the messaging application channel for retail transactions. The design strategies implemented include enabling technologies, addressing stock outs early in the process, and optimizing roles. Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) was utilized as a guide to formulate these strategies for the intervention. The proposed service blueprint received positive and desirable feedback when validated with the employees. As a conclusion, the project's relevance, limitations, and recommendations were described.