Ramp-up and ramp-down dynamics in digital services

Volume ramp ups are notoriously difficult in digital services, where market pressures can lead to ramping up too soon and too rapidly which in turn can lead to the need to ramp down. This paper addresses the challenge of taking innovation to scale in an established firm by enhancing our understanding of the nature of service ramp ups and ramp downs. Digital service ramp ups differ substantially from production ramp ups as the speed is much greater, and problems are visible to customers. However there are similarities between service ramp downs and product recalls and an important contribution is exploring the nature of ramp downs their processes and possible causes. Using an engaged research approach, longitudinal data from three consecutive ramp ups in a European telecom operator were collected. Through analyses of cases, qualitative and quantitative case data, and using a system dynamics model, we identified a set of issues that affect service ramp ups and ramp downs. These include the need to ramp up the service supply chain, biases leading to unrealistic assumptions about scalability and problem‐solving, decision biases in various functions, launching digital services in beta form, a lack of transparency of capacity and lack of learning from previous ramp ups. We show that if these problems are not addressed or resolution is delayed, this can lead to cycles of delay, backlogs and productivity problems and the inevitability of a ramp down. We explore reasons and importance for such delays that lead to service ramp downs

Throbbing Between Two Lives: Resource Pooling in Service Supply Chains

Resource pooling is known to benefit performance through reduced congestion, but primarily in settings with homogenous demand. In settings where demand is heterogeneous, pooling can be counter effective. The effects of pooling of staff when demand is heterogeneous and dependent are not known. We present a simulation model based on a service supply chain that delivers Interactive TV to customers. Customers expect high performance in terms of innovativeness and reliability. Based on the results of simulation analysis, we find that when target innovativeness of the service is increased, pooling outperforms not pooling, but the delays that are involved with pooling will make the system and hence its performance unstable. Stable and high performance can be realized through unbalanced hiring. This means that a target performance increase in the upstream stage of the chain (innovation), is accompanied by hiring staff in the downstream stages of the chain (QA and operation)

CBM Maturity Model (CBM3) for asset owners in the process industry

While the attention for Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) has been growing, both academically and in practice, many organizations are struggling with the adoption and deployment of advanced condition monitoring technologies. The purpose of this research is to develop a CBM Maturity Model and CBM Maturity Assessment that can aid asset owners and maintenance managers in the development of their CBM practices. The maturity model, assessment instrument and assessment procedure have been developed with and tested at two large asset owners in the Dutch process industry following the design science methodology

Designing Smart Services: A System Dynamics-Based Business Modeling Method for IoT-Enabled Maintenance Services

This paper reports on a design science research project aiming to develop a method to support business decision-making regarding IoT-enabled maintenance services for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Often, these OEMs remain reluctant to make full use of recent advances in the Internet of Things (IoT), sensor technologies and data analytics for providing services on installed equipment with Asset Owners (AOs). These new developments allow them to advance on their servitization journeys from selling products to selling product-centered services. The method is based on System dynamics (SD), a powerful modeling methodology to capture all these complexities in an integral, coherent and visible manner with all stakeholders. It also allows for a quantitative analysis of the business case for “smart maintenance services”. The paper describes servitization, smart (i.e. digitally enabled) mainte-nance services and then the method itself. A case study illustrates the application of the method for an OEM in the semiconductor industry

Mechanisms in Open Innovation: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature

A large body of literature explores the role of context, structure, actors, and outcomes of open innovation (OI), yet pays little attention to the mechanisms underlying these relationships. In this review paper, we synthesize the OI literature using a context-mechanism-outcome approach to identify and classify the various mechanisms observed in empirical OI studies. Our findings demonstrate that the OI literature draws on a wide variety of mechanisms originating from the fields of management, sociology, economics, and psychology. The fifteen mechanisms most frequently observed in the literature fall into four categories: governance and policies; environmental dynamics and interactions; knowledge, skills, and capabilities; and learning by doing. Moreover, by examining the levels of analysis of these mechanisms, we observe substantial differences in how these mechanisms operate at the individual, project, firm, network, and society level. Finally, we identify various avenues for future research arising from our synthesis of the literature

Connecting Obstetric, Maternity, Pediatric and Preventive Child Health Care:A Comparative Prospective Study Protocol

Collaboration between birth care and Preventive Child Health Care (PCHC) in the Netherlands is so far insufficient. The aim of the Connecting Obstetric; Maternity; Pediatric and PCHC (COMPLETE) study is to: (1) better understand the collaboration between birth care and PCHC and its underlying mechanisms (including barriers and facilitators); (2) investigate whether a new multidisciplinary strategy that is developed as part of the project will result in improved collaboration. To realize the first aim, a mixed-method study composed of a (focus group) interview study, a multiple case study and a survey study will be conducted. To realize the second aim, the new strategy will be piloted in two regions in an iterative process to evaluate and refine it, following the Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach. A prospective study will be conducted to compare outcomes related to child health, patient reported outcomes and experiences and quality of care between three different cohorts (i.e., those that were recruited before, during and after the implementation of the strategy). With our study we wish to contribute to a better understanding of collaboration in care and develop knowledge on how the integration of birth care and PCHC is envisioned by stakeholders, as well as how it can be translated into practice