Data-based decisions

Delivering value to customers through high quality products and fast service is fundamental to all businesses and an important requirement for project teams. In the quest to optimise the production process, various methodologies have emerged that aim to improve every stage of the process, from budgeting and initial design through to development, manufacturing, inventory and distribution.

If we take a brief look back over previous industrial revolutions: mechanization (steam and coal), electricity (mass manufacturing, assembly line) and electronics and computing (automation thanks to information and communication technologies) we can see how these events caused cities and populations to develop, marking a turning point for economies and society as a whole.

Is this process sufficiently agile, fast, flexible, and to what extent should it be standardized, or should it be custom-made?