Foundations of Operations Management

This unit introduces core operations management concepts, process mapping, and foundational tools for planning and improvement across production and service environments. Students will build skills in forecasting, capacity and inventory planning, basic cost estimation, lean thinking, and supply chain and project basics to prepare for deeper optimization and strategic decision-making in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze core operations concepts and create process maps to identify value, waste, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement in a given workflow
• Apply forecasting, capacity planning, and inventory management techniques to develop a top-down operational plan and calculate basic time, batch, and cost estimates
• Demonstrate foundational process improvement and lean methods, and use basic project-tracking approaches (including iterative/Agile principles) to estimate, plan, and monitor small improvement initiatives
• Evaluate supply chain structures, outsourcing options, logistics considerations, digital tools, and disruption risks to recommend operational strategies appropriate to an organization’s maturity and context