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Innovating in Operations Management (online)

Course

Online

Free

Description

  • Type

    Course

  • Level

    Intermediate

  • Methodology

    Online

  • Duration

    6 Weeks

  • Online campus

    Yes

  • Delivery of study materials

    Yes

  • Support service

    Yes

  • Virtual classes

    Yes

Every year Forbes magazine releases a list of the top 100 innovative companies around the world. The list features five-year average sales growth, net income growth and innovation premium figures. Simply by looking at those figures it is transparent how much any business can gain from applying innovation to their operations management.

With this in mind it is important for businesses to understand the right processes behind operations management and the importance of innovation in operations management and business competitiveness.
Acquire skills to understand and effectively promote competitiveness
This course will allow existing and potential operations managers to acquire skills to understand and effectively promote competitiveness through the development or adaptation of best practice in new product and service development as well as deployment of a culture based on innovation.
This course will:
Equip learners with the knowledge and understanding of operations management concepts, business models, methods and tools
Explore best practice and most commonly used operations and innovation management business models, methods and tools used by successful organisations to improve their operations and understand how to apply them in a real industrial context
Take the opportunity to reflect upon and consider particular operational issues that have a direct impact on the competitiveness of contemporary organisations
Provide a platform for global discussion to facilitate learner’s connections and communication for the purpose of initiating international networks

About this course

the role of operation managers in creating competitiveness and a culture of innovation
the nature of design and innovation in the context of operations
innovation in the management of operational processes and supply chains
triggers for innovation eg specific models, methods and tools
the nature of innovation as a process itself

Innovating in Operations Management: How to continuously improve business products and operations is a free online short course for businesses and individuals aspiring to develop their ability to effectively manage operations in small and medium sized companies, but is particularly targeted at applying innovation to operations management.

The course is appropriate for those seeking to establish a career in operations management, those who currently operate in this environment or anyone with an interest in the subject.

The course is free and widely available for anyone to take part in regardless of age, location or education status.

However, there are some basic requirements. You will need access to the internet whether it is on your PC, tablet, mobile or other electronic devices, as well as a valid email address to register with our online learning environment in order to take part in the course.

You will need to agree to the terms and conditions before you start the course which will be available when you enrol.

We are proud to be an accredited provider of the CPD Standards Office for our online short courses and free courses, demonstrating that they conform to CPD best practice and are appropriate for inclusion in a formal CPD record.

A flexible course that fits in with working and family life
This course will help you learn how to effectively manage operations in any small and medium sized company, with particular attention to improving operations management through innovation.

We will engage but not be limited to the aerospace, automotive and railway sectors and the best practices in operations management based on innovation.

Learners will not only review academic theory supported by teaching notes, videos, case studies and exercises, but they also will get an opportunity to share best practice and experiences with each other in our forum activities, making it a great opportunity for individuals to improve their skills and knowledge as well as expose themselves to good practice and scenario based ideas developed by peer learners.

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Subjects

  • Operations Management
  • Best Practice
  • Design
  • Innovation
  • Approximately
  • Operations
  • Management
  • Understanding
  • General
  • Building

Course programme

Course units

The course is made up of 6 units, each will require approximately 2 hours of study.

Unit 1 - Understanding the general context and link of innovation and operations management
  • Understanding the meaning of operations and innovations management
  • The role of operations managers in the current competitive environment
  • Recognising the importance of innovation in the management of operations
  • Types of innovation
  • Managing innovation as a process
Unit 2 - The role of operations managers in building a culture of innovation and continuous improvement
  • Organisational culture types - how does a culture based on innovation and continuous improvement fit within a contemporary organisation?
  • Challenges in building a culture geared towards innovation and continuous improvement
  • Recognising and developing the organisational characteristics that facilitate innovation
  • Engaging the workforce – role of individuals
Unit 3 - Getting the right working approach to encourage innovation
  • Formal, complex and centralised structures
  • Organisational structures and innovation
  • Managing by processes
Unit 4 - New product/service design and innovation in the context of operations
  • Why a good design creates a competitive advantage?
  • Stages of design – moving from concept to specification
  • How to generate and screen a concept
  • Preliminary design, evaluation and improvement
  • Prototyping and final decision
  • Protecting the innovation – Intellectual property
Unit 5 - What operations managers need to know to design innovative processes?
  • Process design and innovation
  • Fusioning product/service and process design (how are process and product/service design related?)
  • Considering the effect of volume and variety of products in the design of processes
  • Type of processes
Unit 6 - Going beyond managing - improving existing services and processes
  • Improvement and innovation in the management of operations processes
  • Improvement strategies - breakthrough (innovation) vs. continuous improvement (kaizen)
  • Triggers of innovation
Structure, certificates and assessment

This course had been developed in partnership with Enscite and is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

This massive open online course is comparable to level 5 on the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ), however, it does not hold any credits and cannot be used as a top-up for your University credits.

Throughout the learning process, you will be awarded a Mozilla open badge for completing each unit. These are internationally recognised by many employers and educational institutions and will allow you to display your study achievements, even if you only wish to complete a specific unit.

Upon completion of the course, you will be issued an E-Certificate featuring all earned badges and stating that you have completed the full course, so that you can add it to your CV or education portfolio.

If you are interested in exploring what else University of Derby Online Learning has to offer, browse our online courses.

Innovating in Operations Management (online)

Free