Operations Management Foundations

Learn how to identify the operations systems in your workplace and use operations management tools and concepts to improve outcomes, efficiency, and innovation.

Introduction

• Operations basics for business professionals

1. Introduction to Operations

• What is operations?
• The importance of providing value
• The importance of productivity
• Operations at your company

2. Managing Inventory Basics

• What is inventory? Why do companies need it?
• Key inventory decisions
• Inventory consumption rates
• Holding cost or ordering costs?
• Economic order quantity
• Forecasting: How much inventory do you need?

3. Making Products and Services

• Choosing a production strategy
• Choosing a production facility layout
• Identifying bottlenecks and constraints
• Assembly lines and tradeoffs
• Lean manufacturing
• Focused factories
• Retail layout

4. Managing Waiting Line Basics

• Goals of waiting lines
• Customers and waiting lines
• Lines and service facility
• Waiting line calculations
• More waiting line calculations

5. Quality Control Basics

• Defining quality
• The dimensions of quality
• Improving quality: Benchmarking
• Establishing reliability
• Quality certifications
• Choosing Six Sigma or SPC
• Understanding costs of quality

6. Operations at the Office

• The importance of business processes
• Project management for operations professionals
• Scheduling for operations professionals