{"id":8392,"date":"2011-04-07T06:39:45","date_gmt":"2011-04-07T13:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/?p=8392"},"modified":"2014-10-18T16:17:38","modified_gmt":"2014-10-18T21:17:38","slug":"service-and-manufacturing-the-concept-of-variety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/service-and-manufacturing-the-concept-of-variety\/8392\/","title":{"rendered":"Variety in Services Versus Manufacturing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"a296a24fa2fc69ef5487857f02f111e8\" data-index=\"9\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Single Post readerboard -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8207522353004717\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1144967431\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>In this post, we discuss another key difference between service and manufacturing. Previously, we discussed how\u00a0<a title=\"production and consumption in service and manufacturing\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/lean-in-service-manufacturing-production-consumption\/8032\/\">production and consumption is different in service versus manufacturing<\/a>; we also covered the\u00a0<a title=\"intangible aspects in service and manufacturing\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/intangible-aspects-in-service-operations-management\/8171\/\">intangible differences between service and manufacturing<\/a>, the topic of &#8220;inventory&#8221; and <a title=\"inventory in service operations\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/inventory-management-service-manufacturing\/8172\/\">inventory in service<\/a> versus <a title=\"inventory in manufacturing\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/inventory-management-service-manufacturing\/8172\/\">inventory in manufacturing<\/a>; then, we discussed the concept of <a title=\"variation in service\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/service-and-manufacturing-variation-and-variability\/8389\/\">variation in service<\/a> versus <a title=\"variation in manufacturing\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/service-and-manufacturing-variation-and-variability\/8389\/\">variation in manufacturing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In today&#8217;s post, I&#8217;ll tackle the concept of &#8220;variety&#8221; and what that means in the context of a service operation.<\/p>\n<h2>What is Variety?<\/h2>\n<p>Unlike <a title=\"what is variation?\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/service-and-manufacturing-variation-and-variability\/8389\/\">variation<\/a>, &#8220;variety&#8221; refers to the many different outcomes a process can have. Variety in Services is what creates the complexity. For example, in a manufacturing environment, variety could be understood as the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This stereo is available in black, white, and blue.<\/li>\n<li>These <a title=\"Starbucks, Change Management, and Resistance\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/starbucks-lean-change-management-resistance\/7766\/\">coffee tables<\/a> are available in these 4 sizes and in these 5 colors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Do you notice a pattern? The products above have variety or options, but they are a closed set of options. The stereo is only available in 3 colors. The coffee table is only available in 4 sizes and 5 colors. No more; no less.<\/p>\n<p>That is a key aspect of variety in a manufacturing context: variety is discrete and has a closed set of options.<\/p>\n<h2>Series on Difference Between Service Versus Manufacturing<\/h2>\r\nGo here for details on applying <a title=\"lean for service operations articles and case studies\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/lean-services\/\">Lean for Service Operations<\/a>. For other posts in this series, please refer to the table below:\r\n<BR><br>\r\n<div align=\"center\">\r\n<table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"middle\" valign=\"top\" width=\"52%\">\r\n<h3><strong>Service Business <\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"middle\" valign=\"top\" width=\"47%\">\r\n<h3><strong>Manufacturing Business<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"lean, simultaneous production and consumption\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/lean-in-service-manufacturing-production-consumption\/8032\/\">simultaneous production and consumption (co-creation between producer and consumer)<\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"lean, production and consumption at different stages\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/lean-in-service-manufacturing-production-consumption\/8032\/\">consumption and production at different stages<\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"service operations lean six sigma\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/intangible-aspects-in-service-operations-management\/8171\/\">many critical aspects are intangible<\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"service operations, lean service\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/intangible-aspects-in-service-operations-management\/8171\/\">many critical aspects are tangible<\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"inventory in service versus manufacturing\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/inventory-management-service-manufacturing\/8172\/\">concept of inventory may not be material, but can be virtual such as requests and, in healthcare, patients waiting for service can be considered a type of inventory<\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"inventory in service, inventory in manufacturing\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/inventory-management-service-manufacturing\/8172\/\">usually has inventory and buffers<\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"variability, variation in service\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/service-and-manufacturing-variation-and-variability\/8389\/\">considerable variability in service delivery<\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"variation, variability in manufacturing\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/service-and-manufacturing-variation-and-variability\/8389\/\">some variation<\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"variety in service operations\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/service-and-manufacturing-the-concept-of-variety\/8392\/\">open universe in variety of service cases<\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"variety in manufacturing operations\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/service-and-manufacturing-the-concept-of-variety\/8392\/\">closed set in variety in product manufacturing<\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"customer benefits from service operations\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/substantive-peripheral-benefits-service-manufacturing\/8395\/\">substantive and peripheral benefits<\/a><\/td>\r\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" valign=\"top\"><a title=\"customer benefits from manufacturing\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/substantive-peripheral-benefits-service-manufacturing\/8395\/\">mainly substantive product benefits<\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<BR>\n<h2>Variety in Service<\/h2>\n<p>On the other hand, variety in a service context has a universe of options. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This morning, the <a title=\"Starbucks, Queueing Theory, Constraints, and Lean\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.opexlearning.com\/resources\/starbucks-queueing-theory-constraints-lean\/7768\/\">Barista<\/a> said &#8220;hello&#8221;, but last week he said &#8220;yo&#8221; and the week before he ignored me. What will he say next week? How will he treat me tomorrow?<\/li>\n<li>The flight attendant gave me peanuts for my snack and tossed them to me; but last week when I flew on the same airline, the flight attendant gently handed me my peanuts and treated me very well. I wonder how the flight attendant will treat me next week when I go on a business trip?<\/li>\n<li>In our last software development project, my boss happily led our daily standups &#8211; he was on time, happy, and inspirational and held us all accountable in a healthy way. But since he and his wife divorced, our daily standups are sometimes good and sometimes bad. It just depends on his mood that morning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Do you see the difference? An open set of responses are possible in the context of a service operation; but, a closed set of options are available in a manufacturing operation.<\/p>\n<p>Again, we are dealing with intangible aspects in service; whereas in manufacturing, we&#8217;re dealing with tangible aspects that can be counted and explained easily.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<!--CusAds0-->\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this post, we discuss another key difference between service and manufacturing. Previously, we discussed how\u00a0production and consumption is different in service versus manufacturing; we also covered the\u00a0intangible differences between service and manufacturing, the topic of &#8220;inventory&#8221; and inventory in service versus inventory in manufacturing; then, we discussed the concept of variation in service versus [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12327,"featured_media":11350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[613],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - 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