Strategic management of Operational Excellence and chain design

Strategic management of Operational Excellence and chain design

Operations and supply chain decisions are no longer mere operational details. In markets with fierce competition, demanding customers, and pressure on sustainability, the design and management of your operations largely determine your success. The question isn't whether you need an operations strategy, but how explicit and well-thought-out it is.

In the Operations Strategy Master Module, you will delve into operations and the supply chain as strategic levers. You will explore how value propositions translate into order qualifiers and order winners, and the associated choices in process configuration, footprint, capacity strategy, vertical integration, and supply chain design. You will use recognized frameworks from Hill, Hayes & Wheelwright, Fisher, and Olhager, among others, to analyze and substantiate these choices.

You will consider not only your own actions but also the positioning of your operations within the supply chain: where is the customer order decoupling point, how do you organize integration with partners, and what role do infrastructure, technology, and capabilities play in your strategic choices?

This module provides you with conceptual guidance and a common language to sharpen strategic discussions about operations. You will apply the frameworks directly to your own organization or case study and develop a cohesive operations strategy: a clear narrative describing what your operation stands for, the choices that align with it, and the changes needed to strengthen your competitive advantage.