Operations and production: 3 free courses for managerial success

Operation and production managers are the logistical backbones of any facility. They are responsible for keeping track of workers who perform a variety of tasks. They spend their time determining new ways of increasing efficiency in the workplace and employing an organisation’s resources to produce goods and services fit for the market.

These individuals deal with the creation of goods and services by applying business concepts. The nature of work is fast-paced and meticulous, and according to the current job markets, they are in demand. 

From supply chain management, analytics, control systems, manufacturing, to sourcing, and acquisition — individuals with the right skills soft and technical skills could lead to a plethora of career opportunities in the operations and production sector. 

Among the essential soft skills for any successful operations management include strong communication, motivational, negotiation, and organisational skills, in addition to an awareness of internal and external customer needs.

they can complement their skillset with these technical skills: budget management, logistics, production management, project management and human resources management.

For those looking to advance their careers, here are some free courses that could help you hone the traits of an operations and production leader:

Advanced Diploma in Production and Operation Management

Alison’s online production and operations management course teach the role of production and operation management in organisations, as well as the phases of product design development. 

The course teaches participants about the requirements for effective inventory management. Students will also learn about production planning problems using linear programming, as well as the concept of total quality management, and probabilistic time estimates.

Master Control in Supply Chain Management and Logistics

In this business and management course on edX, enrollees will learn methods that are used to master control of supply chains, including how to forecast demand, how to determine the best order quantity for procurement, how to plan capacity and production, among others.

Many of the topics covered in the course will be illustrated using real companies and logistics professionals. 

This programme is based on a widely popular university course that will give learning an in-depth, working knowledge on supply chain operations that can be applied to their organisations. Upon completion, future or existing professionals can better control and master their organisation’s systems.

Operations Management

If you want to understand the role of operations management in a firm and develop the skills to structure and solve related problems, this course is for you. Students will learn to address important aspects of business operations, including capacity, productivity, quality, and supply chain.

Upon completion, they will understand how operations in an organisation are configured and factors that can potentially drive the complexity of managing such operations. The course will also introduce concepts such as estimating capacity, identifying bottlenecks, and de-bottlenecking.

Throughout the course, learners will participate in discussions on productivity improvement methods, development of quality assurance systems and configuration of supply chains.