Operations management are essential to organizations. They manage the creation, production, and delivery of good and services. Operations managers plan, organize, coordinate and control the resources required for production. A diverse set of skills are needed to work in operations management.
Kettering University Online's operations management degree provides an opportunity to not only gain content expertise but also leadership skills, and workflow processes designed to ensure optimum efficiency.
Regardless of company size or the products or services they provide, all operations managers cultivate a technical and soft-skill set that allows them to work seamlessly with other departments. Operations managers must have the technical knowledge, expertise, and soft skills to communicate effectively and efficiently with others.
Successful operations managers rely on their interdisciplinary expertise to administer best practices with a constant eye toward the highest possible level of efficiency. Keeping track of raw materials, work flow, purchasing, inventory, and supply chain issues along with making strategic, tactical, and operational decisions are all a part of a day’s work for an operations manager.
“Operations management decisions can range from long-term, fundamental decisions about what products or services will be offered and what the transformation process will look like to more immediate issues, such as determining the best way to fill a current customer request. Through sound operations management, organizations hope to provide the best value to their customers while making the best use of resources” (Bozarth, 2014, p. 5). Below are examples of three distinct departments (finance, supply chain, and human resources) that operations managers work with daily.
An online operations management degree from Kettering University Online teaches financial and economic concepts and skills. The program covers how to understand and develop the quantitative techniques necessary for facilitating the decision-making process. Learners are also introduced to the theoretical valuation of stocks and bonds and the capital markets in which they are traded. Kettering University Online understands that effective operations managers know how to analyze financial statements, assess and mitigate financial risk, predict the economic impact of decisions, and discover opportunities for capital investment.
“The traditional view of operations management still puts the emphasis on the activities a particular organization must perform when managing its own operations. But, as important as a company’s operations function is, it is not enough for a company to focus on doing the right things within its own four walls. Operations managers must also understand how the company is linked in with the operations of its suppliers, distributors, and customers” (Bozarth, 2014, p. 6).
Operations management and supply chain management are inextricably linked. Operations managers make decisions with regard to the activities that support the production and delivery of products and services. Supply chain managers work to make strategic choices when it comes to procurement, data sharing, and the coordination of logistics. When operations managers and supply chain managers work together, they are combining their knowledge and skill sets to make sure that everything that is needed to produce a product is correct and available, and the processes involved in making that product are effective and efficient. Operations managers must understand and be skilled in the intricacies of the global supply chain and how those intricacies affect cost, manufacturing, and delivery. By adding a focus on Supply Chain and ERP, which is an available certificate/concentration in the Operations Management Certificate, a student has the ability to add these skills to their degree.
A master's degree in operations management from Kettering University Online provides learners with knowledge and skills in accounting, economics, marketing, and management, so they can work with colleagues in all departments to forward the mission and vision of a company. Operations management learners can complement their degree with a certificate in Global Leadership, Healthcare Management, or Supply Chain and Enterprise Resource Planning further developing the knowledge and skills necessary to make sound decisions with their colleagues in finance, supply chain operations, and human resources.
Source: Bozarth, C. & Handfield, R. (2014). Introduction to operations and supply chain management (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.