Operations Management is an integral process within an organisation that is concerned with the management of all operations related to the production, designing, monitoring, controlling and improvement of goods and services. On the other hand, strategic operations management relates to targeted management of all operations such that it enhances the quality of products and services.
Decision Areas for Strategic Operations Management
Operations Management is requisite in every type of company be it an online-software based company or an offline company. To manage the business decisions efficiently, companies need to make strategic decisions on different areas thereby contributing to the overall success of the organisation. These areas are as follows:
Design of Goods and Services
Knowledge of market research techniques, trends and future forecasts are essential for designing customer-centric goods and services. So, organisations need talented professionals to take care of designing products. These professionals surf through the future forecasts and customer’s expectations to devise products meeting the needs and desires of customers.
Location Strategy
Depending upon the demand of the customers from a particular area, this area of operations management plays an imperative task in decision-making. With location strategy, the companies can make the goods accessible offline to potential customers at any place all over the world. The companies can set their branches in major cities to provide the utmost facilities to the people and enhance their business. In case of online services, location strategy is not required.
Supply Chain Management
To manage the supply chain efficiently, operation managers make use of information systems that are integrated with advanced techniques. With the help of available information, the managers are then able to forecast the demands of the customers and ensure availability of customer-centric products in the market.
Maintenance
For the success of a business in the long-run, companies need to take the task of maintenance seriously. The operations management of the company should look after the information systems and ensures the smooth running of the equipment.
Quality Management
Testing the quality and removing any kind of bugs is quite important before launching a product in the market. Operations Management is held in-charge of quality management. Furthermore, companies also invite customers to review their products and send feedbacks defining the changes they expect to be integrated into the goods. It is then the task of operation managers to ensure the implementation of these changes.
Layout Design and Strategy
This decision area of operations management focuses highly on the design of the workflows and facilities within the organisation. It generates creative and innovative work environments thereby leading to seamless development of software and web-based products. Overall, it involves a combination of inventiveness and competence.
These are the various components of strategic operations management. A professional must be well-versed with these strategies so that he/she can manage the operations of an organisation. If you are looking for a course that can equip you with all the skills of operations management, then you should pursue an 18-month Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and 24-month Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA) in Operations Management. These courses are equivalent to distance MBA degree but better than it as the syllabus is updated regularly. So, apply for admissions at MIT-SDE and enhance your employability skills.