Have you ever heard someone talk about business operations? Do you know what it means to work in an operations role at a company? Well, if you’re interested, stick around and I’ll tell you what it’s like to work in an operations role.
What is operations?
Operations, to me, is the role most dedicated to increasing the efficiency of your business. Whether customer or business facing, operations roles are filled by individuals who do the work to make the “big picture” possible. I have often heard people refer to this role as: Operations Management. This is because people who work in operations are responsible for managing productivity, process, and often accountability.
Why are operations roles important to a company?
The following article uses Thanksgiving as a metaphor for explaining the importance of operations: Operations Management: Why It Matters. The writer talks about what it’s like to plan Thanksgiving. They say that many of the tasks necessary to plan Thanksgiving dinner, are common to the responsibilities of those in operations management roles.
Responsibilities include:
Planning.
Scheduling.
Logistics.
Supply management.
Quality Assurance.
Digging deeper…
Planning.
Operations management positions are responsible for ensuring that a company reaches it’s goals in a designated area. This involves creating a plan for when to set deadlines and designating who is responsible for completing different tasks. It takes planning to ensure that what you are doing is getting you where you need to be going.
Scheduling.
Operations is often responsible for scheduling. This includes anything from deadlines to company events. It is essentially planning, but in terms of time management. Having a schedule is essential to keeping things on track within an organization.
Logistics.
This involves a little bit of everything. On Thanksgiving, logistics may involve: making sure everyone knows where and when to meet, getting all the supplies for cooking, setting up the dinner table, and providing entertainment. In an operations role at a company, it could be any of the following: interviewing, making announcements, providing services, coordinating between departments, etc.
Supply Management.
For many businesses that sell a physical product, operations roles are often responsible for managing stock. In a different form, companies like Praxis that offer a program, may have operations managing non-physical aspects such as applications, interviews, and more. I see this responsibility as a sub-section of logistics.
Quality Assurance.
Operations roles are often responsible for optimization of a company. This could mean customer facing, or business facing. In a customer facing role, operations may manage live chats, follow-ups, or feedback from clients. In a business facing role, operations likely handles employee satisfaction. This can include anything from small things to make the office environment more enjoyable, to large events, or even employee surveys.
Misconceptions…
Operations looks the same at every company.
Operations roles are suited for extremely organized individuals.
Operations is just management, with a different name.
Myth-busting…
Operations looks the same at every company.
This is incorrect. Operations is highly impacted by the size and form of a company. What does that mean? Well, a small business may not have a team or department dedicated to operations. Oftentimes, the employees in other roles will do operations tasks until a business is larger. This contrasts a large company that likely has an entire department dedicated to just operations tasks. Another impactful aspect is form. An online company manages different tasks than a physical store or office. This can have a huge impact on the responsibilities and purpose of an operations role.
Operations roles are suited for extremely organized individuals.
This can be true. Operations can sometimes be well-suited for organized people. However, operations is a lot to handle, and I think that it is just as important that an individual is able to function, and even excel, in a chaotic and stressful environment. So, while organization is a virtue in operations, there needs to be a balance. Oftentimes, no matter how organized you are, you will have some responsibilities that you do not have complete control over.
Operations is just management, with a different name.
Management is part of operations. There are many management roles within operations, but a lot of operations is smaller scale than that. A lot of times operations involves taking a close look at one function or gear of the company, and asking how you can make it more efficient. It’s certainly not a estranged management position. It is a lot of getting involved with the inner-workings of a business.
What do you think?
Do you agree with my interpretation of operations? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!