Operations Management For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Operations Management For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by Mary Ann Anderson, Edward J. Anderson, Geoffrey Parker
Released December 2021
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119843108

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Book description

The plain language guide to getting things running smoothly in the world of business 

Operations management is all about efficiency, and Operations Management For Dummies is all about efficiently teaching you what you need to know about this business hot topic. This book tracks typical operations management MBA courses, and it will help you un-muddle concepts like process mapping, bottlenecks, Lean Production, and supply chain management. Learn to step into a business, see what needs improving, and plug in the latest tools and ideas to shape things up in any industry. 

This latest edition covers, you guessed it, digital transformation. Technology is completely upending operations management, and Dummies walks you through the latest, so you can stay at the front of the pack. Other new stuff inside: supply chain traceability, ethical sourcing and carbon footprint, business resiliency, and modularizing the supply chain. It’s all here! 

  • Optimize operations and increase revenue with strategies and ideas that make businesses run better and cheaper 
  • Get easy-to-understand explanations of complex topics and theories in operations management 
  • Learn how operations management is affected by digital transformation and sustainability concerns 
  • Evaluate, design, improve, and scale all sorts of processes, regardless of business size or area of operation 

Businesses can't operate successfully without effective operations and supply management. That makes Operations Management For Dummies a must—for MBA students and business professionals alike. 

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Conventions Used in This Book
    3. Foolish Assumptions
    4. Icons Used In This Book
    5. Beyond the Book
    6. Where to Go from Here
  5. Part 1: Getting Started with Operations Management
    1. Chapter 1: Discovering the Fundamentals of Operations Management
      1. Defining Operations Management
      2. Understanding the Process of Operations
      3. Meeting the Challenges
    2. Chapter 2: Defining and Evaluating Processes
      1. Mapping Processes
      2. Evaluating the Elements of a System
    3. Chapter 3: Designing Processes to Meet Goals
      1. Getting Started with Process Improvement
      2. Planning Operations
      3. Improving Processes According to a Goal
      4. Managing Bottlenecks
    4. Chapter 4: Dealing with Shared Resources, Batches, and Rework
      1. Sharing Resources
      2. Batching Parts and Setting Up Operations
      3. Handling Poor Quality
    5. Chapter 5: Designing Your Process to Match Your Product or Service
      1. Considering Costs, Standardization, Volume, and Flexibility
      2. Improving Face-to-Face and Back-Office Operations
      3. Fulfilling Customer Demand: Making to Stock or Making to Order
      4. Getting It to Your Customer
      5. Designing for X: Designing Products with Operations in Mind
  6. Part 2: Managing Variability and Risk
    1. Chapter 6: Forecasting Demand
      1. Getting Savvy about Forecasts
      2. Building a Forecast to Predict Demand
      3. Acknowledging the Error of Your Ways
    2. Chapter 7: Planning Capacity
      1. Considering Capacity
      2. Balancing Capacity and Inventory
      3. Addressing Wait Time for Services
    3. Chapter 8: Managing Inventory
      1. Dealing with the Business of Inventory
      2. Managing Inventory
      3. Getting Baseline Data on Performance
      4. Reducing Inventory without Sacrificing Customer Service
      5. Managing Inventory across the Supply Chain
    4. Chapter 9: Planning for Successful Operations
      1. Planning from the Top Down
      2. Exploring the Components of an Aggregate Plan
      3. Considering Materials
      4. Planning for Services
      5. Applying Information to the Entire Organization
  7. Part 3: Improving Operations
    1. Chapter 10: Becoming Lean
      1. Evolving to Lean
      2. Trimming the Fat
      3. Producing Just in Time
      4. Seeking the Silver Bullet
    2. Chapter 11: Proofing against Disruption
      1. Understanding Disruptions
      2. Planning for Disruption
      3. Investing in Relationships
      4. Fattening the Supply Chain
      5. Redesigning Your Product and Process
      6. Protecting against Cyberhacking
      7. Mixing and Matching Strategies
    3. Chapter 12: Managing Quality
      1. Deciding What Matters
      2. Recognizing the Value of Quality
      3. Addressing Quality
      4. Designing for Quality
      5. Measuring Quality
    4. Chapter 13: Creating a Quality Organization
      1. Reaching Beyond Traditional Improvement Programs
      2. Adding to the Tool Box
      3. Overcoming Obstacles
  8. Part 4: Managing the Supply Chain
    1. Chapter 14: Understanding Supply Chain Basics
      1. Seeing the Structure of Supply Chains
      2. Aligning the Supply Chain with Business Strategy
      3. Exploring the Bullwhip Effect
      4. Improving Supply Chain Management
    2. Chapter 15: Sourcing Strategically
      1. Seeing the Upsides and Downsides of Outsourcing
      2. Getting Down to the Basics
    3. Chapter 16: Digitalizing the Supply Chain
      1. Navigating the Digital World
      2. Mapping a Digital Strategy
    4. Chapter 17: Scaling throughout the Product Life Cycle
      1. Managing Operations Age-Appropriately
      2. Swooning over the Baby
      3. Surviving the Awkward Stage of Quick Growth
      4. Getting Comfortable with Market Maturity
      5. Preparing for the End
      6. Emerging Anew
      7. Managing Start-up Operations
  9. Part 5: Managing Projects
    1. Chapter 18: Leading Successful Projects
      1. Defining Success
      2. Figuring Out Why Projects Fail
      3. Laying Out the Project Management Life Cycle
      4. Leading a Project
    2. Chapter 19: Estimating and Scheduling Projects
      1. Estimating Time and Cost
      2. Working with Uncertainty
      3. Putting It All Together
    3. Chapter 20: Becoming Agile
      1. Escaping the Waterfall
      2. Deciding on Agile
      3. Gearing Up for Agile
      4. Sprinting through the Project
      5. Avoiding Common Agile Mistakes
    4. Chapter 21: Responding to Risks That Threaten Your Project
      1. Tracking Project Progress
      2. Planning Ahead with Risk Registers
      3. Responding Productively to Risk
  10. Part 6: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 22: Ten Pivotal Operations Management Developments
      1. Logistics
      2. Division of Labor
      3. Interchangeable Parts
      4. Scientific Management and Mass Production
      5. Statistical Quality Control
      6. Lean Manufacturing
      7. Scientific Project Planning
      8. Supply Chain Management
      9. Computerized Supply Chain Coordination
      10. Electronic Commerce
    2. Chapter 23: Ten Mistakes That New Operations Managers Make
      1. Beginning an Improvement Journey without Knowing your Process
      2. Creating Overly Complex Processes
      3. Missing the Real Bottleneck
      4. Managing Based on Utilization
      5. Not Standardizing
      6. Automating Bad Processes
      7. Misdefining Quality
      8. Improving Process through “Big Bangs” rather than Continuous Improvement
      9. Not Doing Enough Project Planning Upfront
      10. Not Focusing on the Customer
    3. Chapter 24: Ten Traits of World-Class Operations
      1. Knowing Thyself
      2. Possessing Profound Knowledge of the Customer
      3. Focusing Intensely on Quality
      4. Adapting to Change
      5. Getting Better All the Time
      6. Appreciating Employees
      7. Paying Constant Attention to Product Offerings
      8. Using Relevant Process Metrics
      9. Balancing Respect and Expectations for the Supply Chain
      10. Avoiding Unnecessary Complexity
  11. Index
  12. About the Authors
  13. Connect with Dummies
  14. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Operations Management For Dummies, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Mary Ann Anderson, Edward J. Anderson, Geoffrey Parker
  • Release date: December 2021
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119843108