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BUSINESS NEWS - Operations support the organisation’s strategic goals - whether it’s annually or quarterly. To make sure these goals are met, there are processes, analysis, and measurements put in place. The responsibility of these tasks are in the hands of the operations manager.
The operations manager needs to have a big picture perspective - they’re handling the operations of an entire organisation which means they have oversight over finance, marketing, staffing, and technology.
The roles and responsibilities of operations management
Having oversight of an entire organisation means taking responsibility of the following:
Planning
When it comes to providing a quality product or service, the operations manager is involved in all stages of the pre-production.
Budgeting
Before the design or production, the budget will need to be estimated and approved. The operations manager is involved during this stage. Depending on organisational hierarchy, he/she will either receive budget from the executives or plan alongside them. Once the budget has been finalised and approved, it will be communicated to the department involved.
Organising
Once budget is in place, workflow and procedures need to be planned. The operations manager will need to work with each department to ensure everyone is aware of the product/service objectives and what role they will play to meet these. This means looking at company resources, managing people, and making sure the technology is up to par to perform the tasks at hand. After successful assessment of all of the above, the operations manager can begin production.
Strategy
Whether it’s planning for a new product/service or goals and mission for the overall organisation, a strategy needs to be put in place. The business needs to meet its financial goals but also maintain good employee standards and meet customer demands. To make sure this is achieved, the operations manager will head up strategic planning that will align all these goals.
Business strategies include:
Sales
The operations manager will create a plan that will help the sales team meet their targets. This will include identifying the target market. Using current data, they will analyse their market’s age, location, gender, and spending. This will help inform the next sales pitch.
The sales strategy will also include sale methods. By working out a strategy and understanding your market, the sales team will have an idea of sales methods which could include email, telephone, or both.
Workforce planning
Most organisations overlook a workforce strategy but by failing to include one, you could be looking at wasted resources, overlooking low performers or over-delivering because you have too little employees.
By assessing the human resources, the operations manager can identify critical roles that need to be filled and to ensure that turnover is not too high.
Finance
A financial strategy sets out how an organisation plans to use its finances over the next few years and also summarises the current financial standing. This means working hand-in-hand with the finance department to draw a roadmap that includes assets, liabilities, monitoring cash flow, and profitability.
Product design
An organisation’s aim is to ensure that the best product/service is being delivered. To ensure this happens, the operations manager will take on the responsibility of quality management. This process involves numerous assessments, checklists, and follows the market trends. The operations manager will need to stay-up-to-date with industry trends, customers’ needs, and make sure the technology can handle production.
Forecasting
The main responsibility of the operations manager is to have foresight into the organisation’s needs, financial standing, and product/service performance. To do this, he/she will be proficient in data analytics and research. Critically analysing the customers’ needs will help inform sales, business, and workforce strategy. This way, the organisation may be prepared for obstacles that may arise.
Operations manager skills and characteristics
To perform all these tasks efficiently or without breaking a sweat, an operations manager will need a certain set of skills. These include:
Organisational abilities: To ensure processes are running smoothly from planning and execution to monitoring and evaluation. The organisational skills will come in handy during the strategy process.
Analytic capabilities: Having an understanding of how each department with an organisation works will help inform decisions made by the operations management. They will need to analyse the inner workings of each department - like a cog in a large machine, to ensure everyone is running at the same pace.
People skills: Operations managers will be dealing with people every day, which means that interactions at all levels is necessary. Clear communication will not only ensure that the job is done correctly but also helps motivate the rest of the staff.
Creative thinking: Not everything will always run smoothly, but when there is a challenge, the operations manager should know how to use out-of-the-box thinking to ensure productivity isn’t halted.
Where to gain skills for operations management?
Work experience will help you gain the necessary skill set for the role but, taking short courses may help you get an understanding of the organisation fundamentals. Learning about operations management will help you focus on service delivery, organisational processes, and teach you basic leadership skills.
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