Mary Ann Anderson - Operations Management For Dummies

Introduction

W e like to think of operations management as the neurological system of a healthy business. It coordinates the behavior and system functionality of living, breathing organizations to ensure that they continue to grow and thrive in the real world. The more complex the organization, the more vital it is for its operations management to be strong and in good working order.

Successful operations management leaders tend to be the well-organized and systematic types of the world. They fuss and arrange and then ponder and tweak. They see the wrinkles and iron them out to ensure that their companies make the most of what theyve got. And many people think operations managers thrive on bringing order to chaos, but this shouldnt be the case! In this book we show you how to plan operations and implement those plans so that your companys operations run smoothly chaos-free.

Maintaining order and efficiency is a fact of life in business, families, personal relationships, and other human systems. And operations management is essentially the science of managing resources and behavior. But unfortunately, this important field of study is often explained in a way that makes it sound like an exercise in advanced math instead of a vital part of corporate governance and strategy development.

We wrote this book to help you get a handle on the fundamentals of operations management and to make your life more comfortable when dealing with operations. Whether youll actually be managing operations or just want to understand what goes on in operations, this book is for you. If you plan on taking an operations management course as part of your business major or MBA coursework, this book provides a foundation for your understanding. It will also be there for you when its time to apply the concepts in real situations as you advance your career!

About This Book

Like all other For Dummies books, Operations Management For Dummies isnt a tutorial. Its a reference book that, we hope, provides you with as much information as you need on the fundamental concepts of operations management to succeed in your coursework and your entry-level tasks in the real world. Use this book as you need it. That is, dont feel pressured to read it cover to cover although youd no doubt be fascinated at every turn! You can jump right to the topics that are giving you nightmares, get the assurances you need, and be on your way with tips and insight that may not be available in your regular textbooks.

Weve done our best to describe operations management concepts in a fun and lively way. We point out the most important theories, techniques, and ways of thinking about managing products, processes, services, supply chains, and projects without all the mind-numbing details, outdated examples, and complicated explanations that fill some other books on this topic. Heres a glimpse of the topics in this book:

Evaluating and measuring current performance

Designing processes to meet your objectives

Improving your processes

Estimating and predicting demand

Planning and managing capacity

Determining the right amount of inventory

Getting the right products to the right place at the right time

Selecting and managing suppliers

Getting the gist of Six Sigma and lean production

Planning and managing projects

Scaling operations for the life cycle of your product

Read the chapters in any order, and feel free to go straight to the subjects that interest you. You dont need to bother with a bunch of stuff that you already know although you may wonder how well you really know it. There is, after all, always room for improvement, right?

As you work your way through this book, keep in mind that sidebars and Technical Stuff icons are skippable. Reading these bits will certainly add to your understanding and appreciation of the topic, but you wont miss anything crucial if you skip over them.