Learning curve should not be applied to standard items and actions as if the first article purchased was the first article produced even though many parts have been manufactured in the past. However, learning curves apply to situations and attitudes or approaches to problems or negotiations. However, if a purchase executive purchases 100 pencils for a price of twenty thousand rupees, one cannot excuse that as an initial phase of the learning curve.
The questions that the materials manager should ask are as under :
- How can the learning process decrease the labor intensive materials cost in the industry ?
- How can one use the learning curve in negotiating prices with vendors ?
- When can one get the new personnel in the department to do some responsible unattended tasks ?
- How can one shorten the learning curve ?
- How long will it take for the new systems that have been implemented to stabilize ?
The learning curve can be actually drawn in a precise manner for any company or individual expected to do the task. This is, however, beyond the present scope. The intent here is to only show that no system or individual starts functioning smoothly at once.
The natural learning process follows the learning curve. At the most, in the case of some individuals or companies (depending on the company training policies or personality), the curve can be steeper or longer as the case may be.
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