APICS Board Update

20 Pages·2015·0.46 MB·English

by  Colleen Hays

Operations Management:
A Bright Career Choice
Steven Aspacher
Senior Manager, Student and Academic Services
[email protected]
Why Study Operations Management?
A well-rounded education in business management would be

incomplete without a working knowledge of operations
management (OM).
OM provides professionals with knowledge of analytical tools,

as well as management concepts, such as supply chain
management, total quality management, lean, and
environmental sustainability.
The study of operations management enables business

leaders to solve real-world problems from planning work and
productivity targets on the department level to managing ring
operations on a global scale.
2 © APICS Confidential and Proprietary
Why Consider Operations Management as a
Career?
It is a business critical function.

• OM is about how businesses manage the design, production and
distribution of goods and services to the marketplace.
• Since all all organizations either produce tangible products or perform
services, they are engaging in OM.
• OM touches all aspects of a business.
It is a road to career success

• OM professionals play an important roles in almost every business.
• There are a variety of job roles and functions that fall under OM.
• OM is increasingly a global economy career.
• OM professionals earn very competitive salaries.
• OM professionals are increasingly making their way to the C-suite.
3 © APICS Confidential and Proprietary
What is the Role of the Operations Manager?
Role of the Operations Manager.

• Make decisions about how business are organized to perform the
information, production, and services activities that best realize the
goals and objectives of the organization.
• Measure the performance or processes that enable the organization to
assess how well it is meeting its business targets and pin point where it
needs to make improvements.
• Effectively manage a company’s costs (efficiencies) while improving
customer service (responsiveness).
4 © APICS Confidential and Proprietary
What is the Role of the Operations Manager?
Specifically, Operations Managers:

• Designs the products, services and processes by which the organization
gains value and secures competitive advantage.
• Plan and control the delivery of products and services at each stage in
the supply chain from supplier to customer.
• Oversee the development of the methods and standards defining
operations and process performance.
• Organize, identify, design the sequencing of processing tasks, and
assign the necessary resources for the production of goods and
services.
5 © APICS Confidential and Proprietary
What is the Role of the Operations Manager?
Specifically, Operations Managers:

• Determine the quantitative techniques and information technology tools
to be used in planning and managing production, inter-enterprise
processes, and supply chain processes.
• Analyze business processes to eliminate wastes, errors, and productivity
gaps and search for improvements.
• Perform ongoing cost management and trade-off analysis to optimize
processes, reduce overall costs, and make the right decisions.
• Solve process problems by investigating symptoms and causes,
performing diagnostics, and implementing solutions.
6 © APICS Confidential and Proprietary
Operations and Supply Chain Management:
The Definition of Adding Value
Meeting customer demand in the most efficient way

Ensuring business goals are met

Increasing revenue by differentiating products and

services
Reducing cost of production and distribution

Coordinating functions across the business

Moving beyond better, faster, cheaper

Laying the foundation for innovation

7 © APICS Confidential and Proprietary
Operations Or Supply Chain Management
A Good Career Choice Today If. . .
You are able to see both the forest and the trees

You like building and tearing apart

You are both process and outcome oriented

You like stability and change

You can play both a supporting and a starring role

You can be both flexible but also adhere to standards

8 © APICS Confidential and Proprietary
Operations Management – A Top Career
According to 2014 US News and World Report
244,100 jobs in the US

12.4% growth rate between 2012 - 2022

$95,440 median salary ($65,860 (25%) - $145,210 (75%))

4.1% unemployment rate

#5 best business job

#42 best job overall

Above average upward mobility

Above average stress

Average flexibility

Bachelor’s or master’s degree

APICS certifications often preferred

9 © APICS Confidential and Proprietary
Majors in Operations and Logistics Rank High
in Median Lifetime Earnings
Source: “Major Decisions: What Graduates Earn Over Their Lifetimes,” The Hamilton
Project at the Brookings Institution.
10 © APICS Confidential and Proprietary