4.1.4—Operations methods

Job, batch, flow and mass/customised methods organise production differently. The method should fit volume, variety, product standardisation, flexibility and the customer’s need for participation.

Higher volume can justify flow or mass processes, while lower volume and higher variety favour job or batch methods. Changing method can affect skills, layout, lead time and quality.

A bespoke wedding cake is a job process; a bakery producing a repeated daily range may use batches; bottled water can use continuous flow.

The labels describe process characteristics, not a quality ranking; a high-volume method can still be poorly controlled.