Activity-Based Management
| Author | Clifford Brown, Lawrence Klein |
| Pages | 13-15 |
Page 13
Activity-based management (ABM) is an approach to management in which process managers are given the responsibility and authority to continuously improve the planning and control of operations by focusing on key operational activities. ABM strategically incorporates activity analysis, activity-based costing (ABC), activity-based budgeting, life cycle and target costing, process value analysis, and value-chain analysis. Enhanced effectiveness and efficiencies are expected for both revenue generation and cost incurrences. Since the focus is on activities, improved cost management is achieved through better managing those activities that consume resources and drive costs. The focus for control is shifted away from the financial measurement of resources to activities that cause costs to be incurred.
As an overall framework, ABM relies on ABC information. ABC deals with the analysis and assignment of costs. In order to complete cost analyses, activities need to be identified and classified. An activity dictionary can be developed, listing and describing all activities within an organization, including information on each activity's location, performance measure(s), and key value-added and non-value-added attributes. ABC information is extremely helpful in the strategic analysis of areas such as process and plant layout redesign, pricing, customer values, sourcing, evaluation of competitive position, and product strategy.
An activity is a business task, or an aggregation of closely related purposeful actions, with clear beginning and ending points, that consumes resources and produces outputs. An activity could be a single task or a simple process.
Page 14
Resources are inputs, such as materials, labor, equipment, and other economic elements consumed by an activity in the production of an output. Outputs are products, services, and accompanying information flowing from an activity. In seeking continuous business improvement, an overall examination of variations in performances of key organizational activities and their causes is referred to as activity analysis. Performance is measured by a financial or nonfinancial indicator that is causally related to the performance (adding value to a product or service) of an activity and can be used to manage and improve the performance of that...
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