In a competitive economy, there is no room for waste or error, especially in the day-to-day functions meant to keep organizations running smoothly. This is where operations management comes into play: this fundamental branch of business management determines how essentials like production and service delivery function. Encompassing supply chain management, scheduling, and quality control, operations management aims to maximize productivity and quality while also minimizing associated costs.
This field is inherently complex. Many moving parts influence operations and some, at first glance, may appear to be fully beyond the organization’s control. From supply chain disruptions to fluctuations in demand and even evolving technologies, Operations management ensures that internal affairs are fully controlled and optimized so that organizations can weather these changes without compromising critical business functions.
Not just anybody can orchestrate these diverse and dynamic elements of operations management. A strong grasp of scheduling and resource allocation is a must, along with advanced skills that allow operations managers to delegate, coordinate, and communicate with ease.
While some insights are primarily gained through industry exposure, the aspiring operations manager can avoid an overly steep learning curve by seeking a degree in operations management. We will explore this educational pathway below, revealing key courses and skill development opportunities built into this unique program, and revealing how graduates can make the most of this degree.
What Is Operations Management?
Understanding operations management begins with recognizing the critical role that operations play in the modern business environment. Operations involve a wide range of everyday activities or workflows that allow organizations to fulfill their core functions, driving the efficient flow of goods and services.
Operations power everything from inventory management to quality control, ensuring that all resources are carefully coordinated to keep organizations running smoothly and efficiently. This determines how organizations function on a day-to-day basis, influencing production timelines and cost control efforts, along with overall customer satisfaction and business profitability.
So, what is operations management? This field is a core component of business management, revealing how operations can be planned, implemented, and optimized to help organizations meet strategic objectives. In Transportation Operations Management, Darren J. Prokop defines this as the “application of purposefully designed processes or systems to better understand or improve specific business activities.”
What Does an Operations Manager Do?
Operations management shapes business processes and workflows, and, while sizable teams may be involved in these business functions, oversight and planning typically are driven by a highly skilled operations manager. It’s important to clarify, what does an operations manager do?
Simply put, an operations manager orchestrates core functions or processes that influence how goods and services are produced or delivered. This role centers around a few key priorities: scheduling, resource allocation, and quality control. Operations management also encompasses cost management, vendor relations, and risk assessment.
Operations managers must strike a balance between proactive planning and agile responsiveness, helping not only to mitigate disruptions, but also prevent them from occurring in the first place. Operations managers face constantly changing challenges in a dynamic field. Their work involves ongoing efforts to improve productivity, quality, and customer satisfaction, ensuring that no two days are exactly the same.
What Is an Operations Management Degree?
While operations management is relevant to business management and frequently addressed in broad-based business curricula, this is an increasingly specialized field that calls for a targeted skill set and in-depth insights into frameworks such as lean manufacturing and Six Sigma. For this reason, aspiring operations managers often seek targeted training via career-driven programs such as the Bachelor of Science in Operations Management.
Operations management degrees feature curated curricula that delve into the many theories, strategies, and technologies that shape the modern operations environment. This program also provides a basic overview of finance, information systems, and organizational behavior, with the goal of preparing aspiring operations professionals to develop leadership competencies and move into high-level, operations-focused management roles.
What You’ll Learn in an Operations Management Program
An operations management degree delivers a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic challenges and opportunities in this evolving field. The curriculum integrates business essentials with current issues, offering a robust introduction to key areas like supply chain management, project management, and business strategy.
Supply Chain Management
Supply chain management emphasizes the flow of goods and services, revealing how products begin as raw materials but eventually end up in the hands of consumers. This is a critical component of operations management, as the supply chain determines how products are sourced, produced, and ultimately, distributed. As such, operations management coursework emphasizes foundational supply chain concepts, introducing students to inventory management, logistics, and procurement.
Project Management
In the modern project economy, project management and operations are closely linked. Operations may involve the continuous processes that keep businesses running, but projects can spark significant improvements to these critical processes, bringing an innovative edge to a field otherwise defined by consistency. Meanwhile, operations management provides robust support to these project-oriented innovations so that changes can be sustained over time.
Project management coursework introduces operations-focused students to the project lifecycle’s key elements while helping students understand cost estimation techniques and risk management strategies. Students enjoy many opportunities to actively practice these skills and gain familiarity with the field’s most impactful tools and techniques.
Quality Control and Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement draws on incremental changes to enhance operations (including key products and services) over time. This spirit plays a vital role in modern operations management, in which leaders show a commitment to continually boosting efficiency or improving quality. Courses focused on quality management introduce students to the most effective strategies for driving continuous improvement, highlighting relevant frameworks such as Kaizen or Total Quality Management (TQM).
Data Analysis and Decision-Making
Operations management is an increasingly data-driven field, reliant on advanced performance metrics and even real-time data to identify trends or patterns so leaders can make informed decisions. To prepare students for this data-driven environment, operations management courses explore information systems and emerging, industry-relevant technological trends.
Inventory and Logistics Management
Logistics and inventory management are some of the most influential components of operations management. They determine how organizations store or distribute products. This drives the smooth and efficient flow of goods while balancing supply and demand. Advanced logistics courses highlight the intricacies of inventory and logistics in the context of today’s global marketplace.
Business Strategy and Organizational Behavior
Managing operations begins with effectively managing people, and this is more readily accomplished when equipped with an in-depth understanding of organizational behavior. Dedicated courses introduce students to the nuances of organizational culture, revealing the influence of group dynamics and addressing the many theories of motivation and behavior.
Core Skills You’ll Develop in an Operations Management Degree
Technical skills are crucial in operations management, especially given the field’s increasing reliance on advanced tools, technologies, and data to optimize processes. That said, operations managers are also expected to demonstrate elite communication and problem-solving skills, which are best developed through active learning experiences such as projects, simulations, or capstones.
Analytical and Critical Thinking
Critical thinking brings an objective and systematic approach to evaluating information and making judgments. In operations management, this means drawing on extensive data and diverse perspectives to reveal how processes can be optimized or inefficiencies eradicated.
Operations management degree programs help students refine critical thinking skills through engaging class activities, using complex scenarios to force students to think critically about common industry challenges and even ethical concerns. Capstone experiences, in particular, help students integrate diverse knowledge while exploring real-world challenges and potential solutions.
Problem-Solving and Decision-Making
Problem-solving is built into the core of operations management, which, at its most basic level, is all about anticipating and resolving the various problems that stand in the way of efficient and effective business operations.
Operations management courses touch on strategies such as decision modeling, which help future leaders utilize advanced statistical techniques to make informed decisions. Meanwhile, business work experiences reveal how future operations managers can integrate theoretical concepts to address complex problems in the field.
Communication and Leadership
Operations managers work closely with many types of professionals and stakeholders and are expected to adjust their communication styles to reflect the different needs or preferences of these various individuals.
To that end, every operations management course provides opportunities for students to practice tailoring their messages while practicing written and verbal communication. Broad-based courses on organizational behavior and change management help students improve their negotiation skills and navigate conflict.
Time and Resource Management
Time management is important in every field but especially relevant in operations. Even seemingly modest delays can spell big problems for overall workflows, ultimately leading to higher costs and reduced customer satisfaction.
To that end, aspiring managers must understand how to allocate resources and orchestrate precise schedules to ensure that all moving parts are seamlessly coordinated. Courses explore these concerns as they relate to logistics and procurement, helping students understand the industry-specific tools and frameworks that promote efficiency and coordinate schedules.
Technical Proficiency and Digital Tools
Like many areas of business management, OM is undergoing a shift towards tech-driven strategies. These strategies help leaders anticipate potential challenges, adapt workflows, and collaborate with cross-departmental leaders.
Today’s operations managers are expected to use a variety of advanced tools and technologies, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, business intelligence tools, and even robotic process automation (RPA). Operations management courses introduce students to these technologies and provide the opportunity to utilize them in the context of problem-solving scenarios.
Workflow Optimization and Process Improvement
Process improvement brings a structure and systematic approach to the ongoing effort to boost efficiency and efficacy, especially as these relate to critical workflows or processes. Operations management coursework introduces students to the many techniques that underscore process improvements, revealing, for example, how lean strategies or Six Sigma’s DMAIC framework can boost efficiency and reduce variation, ultimately improving both performance and customer satisfaction.
Why Operations Management Is Essential in Any Industry
Forming a critical link between strategy and execution, operations management provides the practical solutions and support needed to help businesses achieve their most ambitious and meaningful objectives. Across industries, operations management keeps critical processes running smoothly so customers can access desired goods or services while businesses avoid waste.
Study Operations Management at Baker College
Discover a bright future with an operations management course — an impactful field that promises compelling challenges and the chance to drive organizational success by promoting efficient and reliable operations. It all begins with earning your Bachelor of Science in Operations Management with Baker College. Get in touch today to learn more about our operations management courses and other opportunities to prepare for an impactful career.