Score your highest in Operations ManagementOperations management is an important skill for current and aspiring business leaders to develop and master. It deals with the design and management of products, processes, services, and supply chains. Operations management is a growing field and a required course for most undergraduate business majors and MBA candidates. Now, Operations Management For Dummies serves as an extremely resourceful aid for this difficult subject.Tracks to a typical course in operations management or operations strategy, and covers topics such as evaluating and measuring existing systems' performance and efficiency, materials management and product development, using tools like Six Sigma and Lean production, designing new, improved processes, and defining, planning, and controlling costs of projects.* Clearly organizes and explains complex topics* Serves as an supplement to your Operations Management textbooks* Helps you score your highest in your Operations Management courseWhether your aim is to earn an undergraduate degree in business or an MBA, Operations Management For Dummies is indispensable supplemental reading for your operations management course.

Introduction 1Part I: Getting Started with OperationsManagement 5Chapter 1: Discovering the Fundamentals of Operations Management7Chapter 2: Defining and Evaluating Processes 19Chapter 3: Designing Processes to Meet Goals 33Chapter 4: Dealing with Shared Resources, Batches, and Rework49Chapter 5: Designing Your Process to Match Your Product orService 67Part II: Managing Variability and Risk 83Chapter 6: Forecasting Demand 85Chapter 7: Planning Capacity 99Chapter 8: Managing Inventory 121Chapter 9: Planning for Successful Operations 145Chapter 10: Managing the Supply Chain 161Part III: Improving Operations 177Chapter 11: Becoming Lean 179Chapter 12: Managing Quality 197Chapter 13: Creating a Quality Organization 221Part IV: Managing Projects 239Chapter 14: Using Communication and Leadership Skills WhenManaging Projects 241Chapter 15: Estimating and Scheduling Projects 255Chapter 16: Responding to Risks That Threaten Your Project277Part V: Scaling and Globalizing YourOperations 297Chapter 17: Considering Outsourcing 299Chapter 18: Scaling Operations throughout the Product Life Cycle313Part VI: The Part of Tens 331Chapter 19: Ten Pivotal Operations Management Developments333Chapter 20: Ten Mistakes That New Operations Managers Make339Chapter 21: Ten Traits of World-Class Operations 345Index 351