--- title: "OPMT 130 ยท Run operations that work" publisher: Maestro College (Maestro Open) lessons: 37 source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work full: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/llms-full.txt --- # Run operations that work (OPMT 130) See a business as a system: map how work flows, find the bottleneck, plan capacity and inventory, and make trade-offs you can defend. A practical first course in operations management. You'll learn to think like an operations manager, seeing a business as a system that turns demand into customer value through workflows that run under constraints and uncertainty. You'll map real workflows, find bottlenecks, size capacity, make defensible trade-offs with incomplete information, run small improvement loops and bring leaders along with you. Real scenarios run throughout (a food delivery app, a coffee subscription box, a SaaS support team and a capstone case), with AI as a working partner you stress-test rather than blindly trust. ## Course objectives - Operations management principles - Analyzing and optimizing business processes - Supply chain and inventory management - Quality management and control - Efficiency and capacity planning ## Course teaching approach - Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution. - Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning. - Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks. - End with one fun closed question about the topic. ## Lessons ### Unit 1: Seeing operations as a system - [Operations as a system](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/operations-as-a-system.md) - [Product, service, and hybrid operations](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/product-service-and-hybrid-operations.md) - [The customer journey through operations](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/the-customer-journey-through-operations.md) - [Operations strategy and business goals](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/operations-strategy-and-business-goals.md) - [Cross-functional operations](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/cross-functional-operations.md) - [KPIs and the five trade-off axes](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/kpis-and-the-five-trade-off-axes.md) - [AI as your operational thinking partner](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/ai-as-your-operational-thinking-partner.md) - [Challenge: read a business as a system](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/challenge-read-a-business-as-a-system.md) ### Unit 2: Seeing flow and constraints - [Process thinking](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/process-thinking.md) - [Process mapping](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/process-mapping.md) - [Bottlenecks and throughput](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/bottlenecks-and-throughput.md) - [Capacity and utilization](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/capacity-and-utilization.md) - [Matching capacity to demand](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/matching-capacity-to-demand.md) - [Layout and service design](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/layout-and-service-design.md) - [AI-supported process analysis](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/ai-supported-process-analysis.md) - [Challenge: map flow, find the bottleneck, fix it](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/challenge-map-flow-find-the-bottleneck-fix-it.md) ### Unit 3: Deciding under uncertainty - [Framing the operational problem](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/framing-the-operational-problem.md) - [Quantitative and qualitative evidence](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/quantitative-and-qualitative-evidence.md) - [Reading demand patterns](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/reading-demand-patterns.md) - [Supplier coordination and lead times](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/supplier-coordination-and-lead-times.md) - [Inventory and reorder rules](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/inventory-and-reorder-rules.md) - [Forecasting and uncertainty](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/forecasting-and-uncertainty.md) - [Choosing a trade-off position](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/choosing-a-trade-off-position.md) - [AI as a decision co-pilot](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/ai-as-a-decision-co-pilot.md) - [Challenge: forecast, decide, defend](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/challenge-forecast-decide-defend.md) ### Unit 4: Improving the system - [Variability and the hidden cost](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/variability-and-the-hidden-cost.md) - [Quality designed in, not inspected in](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/quality-designed-in-not-inspected-in.md) - [Lean thinking and waste](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/lean-thinking-and-waste.md) - [Root cause analysis](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/root-cause-analysis.md) - [Improvement loops with KPIs](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/improvement-loops-with-kpis.md) - [AI for KPI monitoring](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/ai-for-kpi-monitoring.md) - [Challenge: run a full improvement loop](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/challenge-run-a-full-improvement-loop.md) ### Unit 5: Leading and communicating operations - [Cross-functional friction and alignment](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/cross-functional-friction-and-alignment.md) - [Communicating to non-operations audiences](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/communicating-to-non-operations-audiences.md) - [Handling pushback and building buy-in](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/handling-pushback-and-building-buy-in.md) - [Capstone, part 1: diagnose the operation](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/capstone-part-1-diagnose-the-operation.md) - [Capstone, part 2: decide, improve, and win adoption](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/run-operations-that-work/capstone-part-2-decide-improve-and-win-adoption.md) ## How to use this document You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates. Start with lesson 1 unless the learner asks for a specific lesson. Keep track of which lesson you are on. ## When a lesson is done Teach one lesson at a time. A lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed for it; check each with a small task or question. When it is complete: 1. Say clearly: "Lesson N complete: ." (use the lesson's number and title). 2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned. 3. Name the next lesson, say "Lesson N+1 of 37: ", and ask if they're ready to start it. Start it only when they say yes. After the last lesson, congratulate them on finishing the course.