Operations and Process Management (Coursera)

Syllabus

Module 1: Performance Improvement Methodology

Welcome to Operations and Process Management! The course focuses on teaching students how to successfully analyze a business process, research methods of improving a process, and adapt/integrate the improvement methods into the business process in a prioritized and actionable manner. The goal of the course is to expose students to a universal set of business processes and provide them with a formal approach to improving and monitoring the health of those processes. Module 1 presents an overview of a six-step process improvement methodology. Lesson one will review the overall model and focus on defining the problem. Lesson two is a detailed discussion of the As Is and Should Be processes to help understand the current and desired states. Lesson three is understanding how to prioritize gaps, create business-ready action plans and use key performance indicators to measure and monitor changes.

Module 2: Continuous Improvement Movements, Continuous Improvement Tools

This module will compare and contrast quality models. It will also discuss the use of qualitative and quantitative tools to analyze the As Is process. Lesson one will review Six Sigma, ISO and Baldridge models to understand quality, policies and procedures and process excellence frameworks. Lessons two and three will review reengineering tools like Affinity Diagrams, Pareto Charts, Cause and Effect Diagrams, and Control Charts. These tools are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive to help diagnose the current state of a process.

Module 3: Process Mapping, Historical Data and Performance Measures

This module discusses that process mapping is not a flow chart but rather the inputs, activities and outputs that create a process. During this module we also cover the use of historic data to understand the As Is environment better and how to leverage performance measures to monitor changes once made. Lesson one is dedicated to process mapping and covers keys to effective interviewing as it is central to mapping a process. Lesson two reviews a model to collect and use historic data. The third lesson presents an approach to creating performance measures and effectively using them.

Module 4: Risk Management and Project Management

This module will review why it is important to balance operational efficiency with business risk. It will also discuss how operations management are a series of projects that must be managed. In Lesson one risk management is covered and reviews the adverse impacts risk can have on business processes. In the Lesson two project management practices are reviewed and attributes of the ideal project manager is revealed. Lesson three is a case from the finance and accounting function going through the full process methodology to see it work in action.

Module 5: Excellence in Business Processes

This module uncovers leading operational process audit techniques used by real-world practitioners. The first lesson is a review of multiple topics like customer orientation, business requirements, cost management and a focus on simplicity. The second lesson is a fun review of the prior lessons' concepts in the form of an engaging game. The third lesson is another detailed case study, this time from the marketing function, that will review the process methodology in detail via a real-world example.

Module 6: Action Plans and Change Management

This module is about action plans and change management. In the first lesson action plans are explored. These plans are not only mini project plans but a business case to turn an idea into an action. The second lesson covers change management and that is understanding the human side of improvements. It covers practices to prevent creating a toxic culture that can sometimes envelop operational changes. The third lesson is an exercise along with a detailed case using the HR function as a way to further illustrate class concepts in real-world scenarios.

Module 7: Quantifying Process Improvements

This module is about quantifying the business impact and financial value of operational changes. The first lesson is defining value and presenting the ROI Process model to quantify value. The second lesson provides an in-depth case example of the ROI Process in action. It will go through mechanical computations to estimate, isolate and adjust numbers to create an ROI. The third lesson is exercises you will work on to ensure you fully understand how to use the ROI Process model.

Module 8: Technology Insights and Course Wrap Up

This module begins with a discussion of operations trends including resiliency, agility and sustainability. As the module progresses to the second lesson more details are reviewed around emerging technologies and how these can be excellent enablers for operational and process changes. Technologies like AI, IoT, Blockchain, Digitization, and Robotics will be covered. The final module is a review of major teachable moments from our course recapping the model, change management, action plans, Risk, ROI, project management and other concepts.

Summative Course Assessment

This module contains the summative course assessment that has been designed to evaluate your understanding of the course material and assess your ability to apply the knowledge you have acquired throughout the course.