By Dr. Olaniyi Opanuga, FNIPM, FCIAM, FIMC, CMM, COM, CSCOM, PSCOMP

Production and operations management field offers you broad knowledge, multidisciplinary competencies and a wide range of employment opportunities and career prospects in any organization worldwide.

The entire creation and all the goods and services provided across the continents of the world are made possible by production and operations management activities.

Production is the creation or provision of goods and services. Production may be agricultural, mining, energy, construction, manufacturing or services like banking, insurance, quick service restaurant (QSR), hotel reservation, transportation, logistics, shipping, education, health or medical, tourism or public service. The purpose of production management is to make production efficient, effective and sustainable.

Production managers work to solve problems, create value and ensure that an organization achieves its goals and objectives by ensuring that inputs (resources such as materials, capital, financial technology, information and human resources) are converted into outputs like goods and services. At a higher level of the organizational hierarchy senior executives are designated as Manufacturing Manager, Plant Manager or Factory Manager. A Production Manager may also be reporting to an Operations Manager, General Manager or a Operations Director, a Technical Director, a Manufacturing Director or directly to the COO or CEO. It is important to note that production is at the core of all manufacturing and service organizations. What then, is operations management?

All operations are rooted in the need to produce and deliver goods and services efficiently and profitably (or to maximize some other value if not-for-profit). Operations management seeks to drive business efficiency or organizational effectiveness, profitability, growth and sustainability. Operations management involves the application of administration, leadership and management principles to ensure that the entire organization, and not only production, but also engineering, finance, customer service, sales, marketing, supply chain, logistics and other processes run effectively and smoothly.

 

 

Dr. Olaniyi Opanuga, FNIPM, FCIAM, FIMC, CMM, COM, CSCOM, PSCOMP

is the President and Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Production Management – NIPM.