Operations
ManagementCornell

Certificate Program

Processes are the building blocks that define everyday operations in all organizations. Organizations run on processes, so the work of analyzing a department, a team, or even the entire organization starts with an analysis of the underlying processes.

In this course, you will analyze processes where the input and processing rates are fixed and have no variability. You will investigate the basic tools of process analysis, starting with the process flow diagram and ending with the performance measures of the process. You will create a flow diagram of a system or process in your own organization. Finally, you will identify and quantify the effects of the bottlenecks in that system or process and propose strategies to manage them.

An organization's service operations encompass all of the processes and systems through which the organization provides care and service to its customers, whether it's human contact, automated systems, or virtually. Ensuring that service operations are optimized for effectiveness and efficiency as well as positive customer experiences is the goal of service operations management. Since the level of demand in these systems is often variable, analysis and improvement can be challenging.

In this course, you will review the probability and statistics concepts necessary to analyze a service process where the level of demand is variable and explore how that variability affects the efficiency of systems. You will practice using tools of queue analysis, including the Lq approximation and Little's Law, to analyze service operations, and you will investigate ways to reduce variability in service processes. Finally, you will analyze a specific service process and recommend improvements to reduce processing and wait times.

The following course is required to be completed before taking this course:

• Process Analysis in Operations

Every process needs a quality control method in place to ensure products and services are delivered consistently according to the quality standards set by the organization. To manage the quality of a process or service operation, you need the metrics required to analyze the process and you need a control system in place to monitor the quality of the product or service it produces. The set of activities and methods that ensure the quality of the products or services is what's known as the quality control system.

In this course, you will use statistical process control tools and procedures to evaluate whether a system or process is in control (consistent) and capable (delivering according to needed specifications.) You will use tools for finding the root cause of a quality problem. Finally, you will propose a method to measure the quality of a process or system in your own organization and propose strategies to decrease variability within the process.

The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:

• Process Analysis in Operations
• Improving Operations

Inventory levels impact operational performance, customer service, and the cost structure that delivers a product or service. Carrying inventory is costly because it ties up cash and creates risk of obsolescence. Therefore, an inventory management policy aligned to deliver the organization's objectives needs to be in place.

In this course, you will explore the drivers of inventory strategy and compare product life cycles. You will practice using the appropriate models and approaches to match levels of inventory with demand in a way that maximizes profit, and you will determine the optimal policies to manage two types of inventory in a given scenario. Finally, you will recommend strategies to improve operations management in your organization based on the principles of the Toyota Production System.

The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:

• Process Analysis in Operations
• Improving Operations
• Quality Control Systems