REALA, Elijah Raphael M.
Reflection Paper
DSIOPMA K36 September 11, 2023
Constantly Pushing Boundaries: The Mission of Operations Management
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence,
intelligent planning, and focused effort.”
This quote by American entrepreneur Paul J. Meyer perfectly encapsulates the essence
of Operations Management: which is constantly looking for ways to improve, enhance, and
refine business processes. Operations management plays a vital role in ensuring the efficiency
and effectiveness of an organization in terms of production (Northup, 2023). Some activities
involved in Operations Management include planning, supervising, and organizing supply chain
activities like production, manufacturing, and delivery of final products to customers. Moreover,
it is also a dynamic process that keeps up with the current business environment and market
trends. To put it simply, Operations Management has the objective of never settling for less, it
continuously innovates businesses to greater heights now and in the future.
As mentioned in the video, Operations Management is not a field that is solely focused
on optimizing production workflow and performance; rather, it also entails other responsibilities
such as Product Design, Forecasting, Supply Chain Management, and Delivery Management.
From sourcing raw materials from suppliers to ensuring product utility and demand in the
market, the concepts and principles of Operations Management are applied as it encompasses
the entire production cycle. A key area that I did not expect to be part of Operations
Management was Product Design, which I assumed to be part of marketing. I was enlightened
that the field plays a role in this by planning and creating a product that will be sold to
customers, which may be in the form of creating an entirely new concept or building on already
existing products. By applying Operations Management in product brainstorming, research and
development costs can be greatly reduced and at the same time improve overall customer
satisfaction (UpGrad, 2023). From this, it is evident that Operations Management, as well as
Operations Managers, are important tools that companies can use to gain a competitive
advantage over other industry players. Some key benefits of utilizing Operations Management
include increasing a firm’s profitability, enhancing product quality and output, increasing
customer satisfaction, helping in waste reduction, improving teamwork and productivity, and
compliance with government regulations (Davies, 2023). With the fast-paced world dominated
by e-commerce, Operations Management become more important than ever as it equips
managers with the skills necessary to navigate and outsmart their competition.
In a nutshell, Operations Management poses a challenge to businesses to constantly
push their boundaries; to go where no one has gone before. It requires unparalleled
commitment and dedication to maximizing efficiency, which likewise necessitates intelligent
planning and focused effort from start to finish. Operations Management is much more than just
something that is used to reduce costs and increase profits, but it also serves as a backbone
that guarantees a competitive advantage and success in this unforgiving business environment.
References
Davies, J. (2023, June 13). What is manufacturing operations management and the benefits?
Winman. [Link]
and-the-benefits
Northup, G. (2023, July 14). What is operations management? (Plus importance and duties).
Indeed. [Link]
management
UpGrad. (2022, August 11). Product design in operations management: Overview, skills &
salary. [Link]
