Operational Management - Icon of a globe with a grid pattern, connected to three people wearing ties, representing a global business or organisation.

Operational Management

Programme overview:

This one day programme helps Team Leaders and First Line Managers understand how the work and achievement of their team contributes to overall organisational strategy.  They will learn how to set and communicate targets in an effective way.  They will also learn how to introduce production and operational change in a way which reduces resistance and increases ‘buy-in’ from those affected.  Finally, learners will develop their awareness of various tools and techniques they can use to monitor progress and achievement against targets. 

This unit can be attended either as a stand-alone programme or as a module within a wider leadership development programme.  It can be delivered either online or in-person.

Topics covered:

  • Understanding the stages within operational management and how this links tooverall organiational strategy

  • Applying the SMART principle to objectives, targets and KPIs etc.

  • Introducing productivity change and variation to your team

  • Monitoring and reviewing achievement against the plan

Following participation, learners will be able to:

  • Understand how organisational strategy is set and cascaded downwards through the organisation

  • Define the stages of operational management - Planning, Design, Implementation, Evaluation & Continuous Improvement

  • Identify specific activities which are undertaken in support of each of the five stages

  • Understand the principle of SMART, it's origins and its wide scope of use within operational management

  • Set and communicate direction to others using the SMART principle to enhance the likelihood of 'right first time'

  • Recognise how to ensure that targets or directions being set are pitched correctly for the nature of the task and the audience

  • Confidently brief the team of change or variation using appropriate tools

  • Handle questions and opinions expressed in a professional way which gains 'buy-in'

  • Identify when additional support may be required and how best to provide this

  • Use a variety of tools to monitor and evaluate progress

  • Understand the value of quantitative and qualitative evaluation when reviewing against the initial plan

  • Recognise the need to consider the impact upon the team as well as time, cost and quality outputs