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Ramp-up and ramp-down dynamics in digital services

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Akkermans, Henk, Voss, Christopher and Oers, Roeland van (2019) Ramp-up and ramp-down dynamics in digital services. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 55 (3). pp. 3-23. doi:10.1111/jscm.12189

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12189

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Abstract

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.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Divisions: Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School > Operations Management
Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Business logistics, Business planning, Telecommunication
Journal or Publication Title: Journal of Supply Chain Management
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.
ISSN: 1523-2409
Official Date: July 2019
Dates:
DateEvent
July 2019Published
11 January 2019Available
17 December 2018Accepted
Volume: 55
Number: 3
Page Range: pp. 3-23
DOI: 10.1111/jscm.12189
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Publisher Statement: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [FULL CITE], which has been published in final form at [Link to final article using the DOI]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.
Access rights to Published version: Open Access
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