Operational Excellence · Professional · MBE™
SOM
Operational ExcellenceProfessional level
30 Hours17 Modules
Self-pacedLearn at your own pace
CertificationEarn an MBE™ CredentialOperations directors are judged on this quarter's output while being asked to build next decade's capability, and the improvement projects beneath them rarely add up to either. Strategic operations management treats the function as the place where strategy either becomes real or dies.
Participants learn to read the strategy hierarchy and competitive priorities, to choose between trade-offs and cumulative capabilities, to diagnose losses across an end-to-end value stream, to combine Lean, Six Sigma, TPM and the Theory of Constraints without method wars, and to govern the whole through tiered dashboards.
What you take away
Operations strategy alignmentCompetitive priority analysisProcess loss diagnosisEnterprise value stream mappingThe natural cohort is the operations leadership layer of a company: plant and operations managers, the business leaders they report to, and the heads of supply chain who share their capacity and inventory decisions. Process improvement professionals and continuous improvement specialists benefit from the strategic framing, which explains why some of their projects were never going to matter to the board.
Transformation teams use the governance and dashboard modules to design the operating rhythm that outlasts the program. Enrolling the general manager alongside the plant managers is worth doing, because module three is about why strategy fails to reach the frontline and that conversation needs both parties.
Mastering Business ExcellenceCertification terms and policies applyThe 17 modules move from strategic intent to daily control and on to enterprise change. Modules one to four set the strategic role of operations, excellence as a capability, alignment and competitive priorities, including the sand-cone model. Modules five and six are diagnostic, covering process losses and value stream mapping.
Module seven integrates Lean, Six Sigma, TPM and TOC, and module eight applies them to flow, reliability and productivity. Modules nine to eleven build dashboards and governance, capacity, inventory and supply chain, and quality. Modules twelve to sixteen cover transformation, culture, the roadmap, digital operations and sustainability. A capstone designs an enterprise program.
Complete the course assessments to earn the SOM credential
Those programs teach a method; this one teaches where methods fit. Module seven covers Lean, Six Sigma, TPM and the Theory of Constraints side by side so that an operations leader can pick the right tool for a given loss, but the surrounding modules are about strategy alignment, competitive priorities, governance and capacity, which belt programs do not cover.
Module three starts from why strategy fails to reach the frontline, then works through translating it into operational reality: defining strategic priorities, setting value stream objectives, establishing process metrics and assigning roles. Module four adds competitive priorities and the choice between trade-off and cumulative capability models, so leaders can explain which capabilities to build first and why.
Yes, and the cohort is stronger with them in it. Module ten is devoted to demand forecasting, capacity planning, inventory types and control models, sales and operations planning, and the management of variability, queues and buffers. The value stream and dashboard modules also assume that supply chain and production decisions are made together rather than in separate meetings.
Module nine is a full treatment of operational dashboards and tiered governance. It covers selecting dimensions with an SQDCP balance, leading against lagging indicators, how to spot bad KPIs and vanity metrics before they distort behavior, and visual dashboard practices. Leaders finish able to design a governance rhythm that connects a frontline board to a site review.
SIPOC to frame the critical process, process step mapping to identify where value is added, value stream mapping with lead time, cycle time and value-added ratio, and value stream analysis to locate flow barriers and wastes. Module eight adds overall equipment effectiveness and loss analysis for reliability, with standard work, visual management and daily management as the countermeasures.
The program contains 30 hours of self-paced content on the Blue Ocean learning platform, on web and mobile, and the administrator dashboard shows enrollment, progress and completion for every leader enrolled. On successful completion of the modules and assessments each participant receives a digital, verifiable MBE credential issued under the Mastering Business Excellence series by Blue Ocean Corporation.
Use the Register Now button on this page. It opens Mastering Strategic Operations Management on the Blue Ocean Academy website, where you can enroll and start learning at your own pace.
Self-Paced OnlineStudy at Your Own Pace, AnytimeLive, Instructor-LedNot Offered for This Program
Corporate TrainingTailored Delivery for Your TeamYour MBE credential is issued digitally and can be verified by employers. It carries the Mastering Business Excellence name, so you can add it to your professional profile as soon as you complete the course.
Digital Certificate
Verifiable Credential
Professional Recognition
Credential Holder Profile
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