What is an Operations Management Concentration?

Operations management concerns the mechanism by which businesses deliver their value proposition to customers clients or end-users. Operations generally includes several specific functional areas. 

Subsets of operations management include: supply chain management, logistics, project management, risk management, etc. 

The operations concentration in a business school examines organizational processes using readily available and practical analytical tools. 

It is suited for students who are interested in managing the operations of complex, computer-integrated firms, such as manufacturing companies, multi-branch banking, retail chains, international assembly plants, and distribution centers. 

It is also a very practical concentration for consultants.

Common Operations Management Courses

• Operations Management - This course provides an overview of Operations Management. This course covers such critical topics as: Operations Management and the Organization, Operations Strategy, Decision-Making in Operations Management, Product and Service Management, Supply Chain Management, Inventory Management, Forecasting, Operations Scheduling, Management of Quality, Facilities Planning and Management.
• Management Science - Introduces operation research and management sciences (OR/MS) techniques for supporting business management decisions. Specific mathematical programming and probabilistic topics include linear programming, integer programming, goal programming, network flow models, decision analysis, game theory, queuing models, and Monte Carlo simulation.
• Quality Management - Provides an understanding of the multifaceted nature of quality management by emphasizing topics such as quality philosophies, total quality management, design quality, process quality, and managing quality in information systems development. Discusses ISO 9000 and Capability Maturity Model.
• Operations Strategy - This course provides a unifying framework for analyzing strategic issues in manufacturing and service operations. Students analyze the relationships between manufacturing and service companies and their suppliers, customers, and competitors. The course covers strategic decisions in technology, facilities, vertical integration, human resources, and other areas, and also explores means of competition such as cost, quality, and innovativeness.
• Project Management - This course provides professionals with the essential skills based on the Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK Guide) from the Project Management Institute (PMI), Inc, including: The five phases of a project; Project management life cycles; Organizational structure and its influence on projects; Time and cost estimates; Project budgets and calendar-based schedules; Risks and a risk management plan; Project monitoring and control; Procurement planning; Quality planning and control; Project integration with business requirements; Project reporting
• Strategic Sourcing & Procurement - This course focuses on the value of strategic sourcing and the analytical procurement process. These two major topics are important competencies that every supply chain organization needs to master in order to increase procurement performance and enhance its competitive position in its respective industry. Participants will learn about effective sourcing strategies, including single sourcing, multi-sourcing, and outsourcing, and how to implement a sourcing strategy to ensure a successful procurement process and add value to the supply chain.
• Process Analysis - This course ntroduces concepts and tools used in designing, modeling, analyzing, and improving business processes. Various business process analysis and simulation methods, such as process mapping/flowcharting, process flow and capacity analysis, service process design, theory of constraints, process modeling and simulation, and business process reengineering are discussed. Introduces methods and analytical tools such as queue theory and computer simulation used to design, model, analyze, and improve business processes. Discusses methods such as process mapping/diagramming, service process design, process modeling, and business process reengineering.
• Process Control - Understand the key differences between quality control and process control. Learn how to detect variability within a process by measuring and controlling the process. Learn how to reduce variability in a process by improving product and/or process design, inputs, or process execution. Understand how to apply Statistical Process Control to the task of improving processes.
• Forecasting & Inventory Management - This course seeks to teach you to generate more accurate forecasts, set appropriate inventory levels, and monitor and improve forecasting and inventory management over time. Explore the impact of inflated inventory levels, diagnose process constraints, and leverage techniques to improve inventory performance.
• Supply Chain Management - This course explores the Design, development, and management of supply chain systems, including production and inventory management, distribution channels, and information systems that support them. Emphasizes impact of e-business on companies and industries, including Internet's impact on the way goods and services flow through value chain from providers to customers.
• Manufacturing Systems - This course provides ways to analyze manufacturing systems in terms of material flow and storage, information flow, capacities, and times and durations of events. Fundamental topics include probability, inventory and queuing models, optimization, and linear and dynamic systems. Factory planning and scheduling topics include flow planning, bottleneck characterization, buffer and batch-size analysis, and dynamic behavior of production systems.
• Government Contracting - This course provides an in-depth knowledge and analysis of the Government Contracting industry, and Business to Government (B2G) relationships. It will discuss Procurement and Supply Chain processes in the government regulatory environment, and how they are executed in practice by government organizations, with a focus on US Federal Government contracting policies, processes and procedures. It is designed for students potentially pursuing careers in government organizations or businesses that serve government clients. Topics will include Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Federal Budgeting, Market Analysis, Category Management, Small Business Utilization, National Security implications, Innovation and Research Funding.

Operations- Related Organizations

• Association for Operations Management (APICS) which supports the Production and Inventory Management Journal
• European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) which supports the International Journal of Operations & Production Management
• Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) which supports the journal: Production and Operations Management
• Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)
• The Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Society (MSOM) of INFORMS which supports the journal: Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
• Chartered Institute or Logistics and Transport (UK)
• Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE)

Operations Certifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP) - The PMP from PMI is the most recognized certification for a project management profession (particularly operations and IT fields). The certification requires either 1) an associates degree, 7,500 hours of experience leading projects, and 35 hours of project management education; or 2) a four-year degree, 4,500 hours leading projects and 35 hours of project management education. Applicants must pass the PMP exam, which is available through Pearson VUE. Maintaining the PMP certification requires 60 professional development units (PDUs) every three years.
• Master Project Manager (MPM)
• Certified Project Manager (CPM)
• Professional in Project Management (PPM)
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) - A (CAPM) is tailored to project managers. It requires an associates degree, passing an exam, and 1,500 hours of project experience or 23 hours of project management education. The certification is valid for five years, and you must retake the exam to maintain the credential. PMI has other certifications aimed at the business community, such as the Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA), Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP), Program Management Professional (PgMP) and PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP).
• Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) - A CBAP certification by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) is aimed at managers and leaders with more than five years of business analysis experience. It requires at least 7,500 hours of business analysis experience over the previous 10 years. 900 of those hours must directly relate to four of the six BABOK Guide knowledge areas. It also requires at least 35 hours of professional development credits during the last four years and two professional references. The applicant must also take and pass the CBAP exam. To maintain the CBAP, credential holders must earn at least 60 continuing development units within three years of achieving certification. The IIBA offers related certifications, such as the Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA), Certificate of Capability in Business Analysis (CCBA), Agile Analysis Certification (IIBA-AAC) and Certification in Business Data Analytics (IIBA-CBDA).
• Certified Project Management Practitioner (CPMP)
• Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) - The CSCP, offered by APICS, covers supply chain concepts and technology, plus strategies for end-to-end operations, from supplier to company to consumer. To earn the CSCP, you need a bachelor's degree or equivalent, at least one other approved certification, and at least three years of related business experience.
• SAP Certified Application Associate  The SAP Certified Application Associate CRM certification recognizes a consultant's skills in understanding and using SAP CRM software, including how it integrates with other SAP solutions.
• Purchasing Professional - The American Purchasing Society, a membership organization, is behind the Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP), Certified Professional Purchasing Manager (CPPM), Certified Green Purchasing Professional (CGPP), Certified Professional in Distribution and Warehousing (CPDW), and Certified Professional Purchasing Consultant (CPPC).
• Management Records - The Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM) offers records management certifications - Certified Records Analyst (CRA) and Certified Records Manager (CRM) certifications.
• Consultants - The Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) offers the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) certification.
• Global Management - NASBITE's Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) focuses on global business management and marketing, supply chain management, and trade finance.
• Business Relationship Management - Business Relationship Management (BRM) Institute, has two certifications: the Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP) and Certified
• Business Relationship Manager (CBRM) - Six Sigma (or Lean Six Sigma) Certification - Six Sigma is a process improvement and efficiency methodology. It has been combined with lean principles of waste reduction. There are many training programs that teach this framework. The main certifying bodies are the American Society for Quality,International Association for Six Sigma Certification, universities like Georgia Tech, and in-house certification from corporations
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• Agile DevOps Expert
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• Agile Scrum Foundation
• PMI-ACP Certification
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
• Atlassian Certified Professional (ACP)
• SAFe* Agilist Certification Training
• Global Association for Quality Management (GAQM)/ Associate in project management
• ASQ Quality Assurance Certifications (Biomedical Auditor, Calibration Technician, HACCP Food Safety Auditor, Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, Pharmaceutical GMP Professional, Quality Auditor, Quality Engineer)

Common Operations Jobs

• Operations Manager - The operations manager is focused on optimizing general corporate infrastructure by monitoring and changing the work environment, vendor selection, supply chain management, real estate, and budgets.
• Materials Manager - Stores a product through all phases from production to finished goods, shipping between departments, transportation to distribution centers, warehouses, and customers. Materials mangers must ensure that the firm has the right item, at the right time, for the right price. This holds for both good and services. For services, the emphasis is on ordering, receiving, storing and distributing any resources required to perform the service. Jobs include: traffic manager, warehouse manager, logistics manager, materials manager.
• Purchasing Manager - Buys the goods and services, raw materials, and supplies required by the firm for its operation. They coordinate the quantity, quality, price, and timing delivery appropriate for the firm's needs. Every firm makes certain purchases each day. Basically every sector deals with purchasing: public and private. Purchasing people spend on average, half of the income of the firm for which they work. Jobs include expediter, buyer, purchasing agent, purchasing manager.
• Industrial Production Manager - Coordinates the activities of production departments of manufacturing firms. They are responsible for the production scheduling, staffing, quality control, equipment operation and maintenance, inventory control, and coordinating the unit's activities with that of the other departments. Jobs include: line supervisor, manufacturing manager, production planner, production manager.
• Operations Research Analyst - Decides on the best allocation of resources within an organization or system. Resources include time, money, people, space, and raw materials. They might also compare competing research projects to determine what one performs best on time, results, and cost given a fixed set of resources and recommend what project to keep and what project to drop. Jobs include: industrial engineer, systems analyst, office manager, forecaster.
• Quality Assurance Manager - Works on the prevention of product deficiencies through prevention, detection, and correction. They ensure that production goals and quality are met. They might sample, inspect, and test operations and set standards. With the advent of the Malcolm Baldridge Award many of these managers are part of a firm's total quality management strategic initiatives. Jobs include: quality assurance manager, inspector, technician.
• Facilities Coordinator - Designs the physical environment of a company. Work on building design, furniture, and associated equipment.
• Logistics Manager - Responsible for supply chain management in a key area of the corporation. Focused on efficiency and accuracy in receiving and shipping goods. Highly process focused.

Related Topics

• Management Concentration
• Marketing Concentration
• Finance
• Accounting
• Information Systems
• Business Analytics / Data & Decision Analysis
• Economics
• Human Resources
• Real Estate
• Operations Management
• Insurance & Risk Management
• Entrepreneurship
• International Business
• Business School & Changing Career Paths