Production vs productivity
Production is TOTAL output; it rises simply by adding workers or machines. Productivity is efficiency — output per worker: total output divided by number of workers. If 10 workers make 500 units a week that is 50 each; after training they make 600, so productivity rises to 60 with no extra staff. Higher productivity spreads fixed costs over more output, lowering unit cost. Raise it via specialisation, training, technology and motivation.
Job, batch and flow production
Three methods, chosen by product, scale and customisation. Job production makes a single unique item to order (bespoke furniture): most flexible, but slow and dearest per unit. Batch production makes a group of identical items together, then resets for the next batch (bread rolls then loaves): some variety, but downtime between runs. Flow production runs items continuously on an assembly line: lowest unit cost, but inflexible, and a breakdown halts the line.
Lean production: JIT and Kaizen
Lean production is a philosophy of eliminating waste at every stage — time, materials, stock, motion, defects — not a single technique. Just-in-time (JIT) inventory control is one method: raw materials arrive exactly when needed, so the firm holds little or no stock, cutting warehousing cost and cash tied up — but a late or faulty supplier halts production, as there is no buffer. Kaizen is another: continuous improvement through small, ongoing changes suggested by workers.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Lean is the philosophy; JIT is a method
Two confusions. First, lean production is the philosophy of eliminating waste; JIT inventory control is just ONE method within it, so "lean is the same as JIT" mixes the category with a tool. Second, JIT reduces INCOMING stock — raw materials arriving just before use — not FINISHED goods. Say "materials arrive just before they are needed", never "no finished goods are kept".
June 2022 P21 Q2(b): JIT answers addressed finished-goods storage, not raw materials arriving just before use; June 2022 P13 Q1(d): JIT and JIT inventory control confused.
Describe batch, not flow or job, features
When BATCH production is asked, give its own features: a group of identical items is made together, then the machinery is reset before the next batch. Do not describe flow (continuous, same product) or job (a single unique item). A second error is suggesting flow for a SMALL business — flow needs expensive machinery and large, stable demand, so it suits big manufacturers.
June 2022 P13 Q1(b): flow or job features given for batch; June 2023 P12 Q1(e): flow production wrongly suggested for a small business.
More workers raise output, not productivity
Production is total output; productivity is output per worker. Adding a tenth worker as efficient as the rest raises production but leaves productivity unchanged, so "production rose, therefore productivity rose" is wrong. Equally, cutting staff can RAISE productivity if the remaining workers each produce more. Test the ratio of output to workers, not the totals.
Kaizen needs the mechanism, not a slogan
Defining Kaizen as "continuous improvement" earns limited marks — examiners want the MECHANISM. Kaizen means workers identify inefficiencies and suggest small, incremental changes to their own processes. Credit the chain: employee suggestions, small changes, less waste, lower unit cost. Name who acts and how, not just the outcome.
June 2022 P22 Q2(a): Kaizen answers were vague — "continuous improvement" stated without the mechanism of employee suggestions and small incremental changes.
Full-time is not always more productive
Do not assume full-time workers are necessarily more skilled or motivated than part-time workers. Highly skilled specialists are often employed part-time, and part-time staff can be very productive. Judge a worker by output and skill, not hours. Claiming full-time staff must be more productive just because they work longer misreads the hours-productivity link.
June 2023 P12 Q1(d): candidates assumed full-time workers are necessarily more skilled or motivated than part-time workers.
Job production: state the limitations too
Job production's benefits are well known — customised, high quality, a premium price — but its LIMITATIONS are handled poorly. Be ready to explain them: it is slow and labour-intensive; unit cost is high with no economies of scale; it needs highly skilled, expensive workers; and it cannot easily scale up. When a question asks for drawbacks, give these, not the benefits.
November 2023 P23 Q3(a): job production benefits were well known but its limitations were poorly handled.
Evaluation: supported judgement in context
On a 6-mark "Do you think...? Justify", earn AO4 with a supported judgement, not a description. State a decision, apply it to the source, and justify why your side wins — e.g. flow lowers unit cost, but this firm makes bespoke furniture, so only job production fits.
Mirror arguments are credited once
"Job has a high cost per unit while batch has a lower cost per unit" is ONE point, not two — a mirror argument earns a single mark. For a genuine second point, use a different aspect: customisation, machinery or labour skill. Check each point rests on a distinct idea.
Analyse builds a chain; evaluate judges
Match the command word. Analyse and explain want a chain — knowledge, mechanism, consequence ("JIT cuts stock, so less cash is tied up") — with no judgement. Evaluate wants both sides weighed AND a decision. A one-way chain caps an evaluate; a bare verdict wastes an analyse.
Production is the total quantity of goods or services made in a given time period. It rises when more inputs are used — for example, more workers, more machines, or more materials.
Productivity is a measure of efficiency — output achieved per unit of input. Labour productivity is the most common measure:
| Situation | Production | Productivity |
|---|---|---|
| 10 workers make 500 units/week | 500 units | 50 units per worker |
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