Guides & Articles on Operations Management
Getting Great Business Stationery
How to get business stationery that impresses prospects and clients.
By Amy Gesenhues
Your business stationery is often the first impression you make on prospects, clients and vendors. The more professional your stationery looks, the better you look. To create a professional library of business stationery, you have to: Know what pieces of stationery you need. Know how to design your stationery for easy, cost-effective printing. Determine how many pieces you should b...
Six Sigma
How to eliminate defects while improving quality for your small business
By Cherie L. Berkley
Are you trying to eliminate a systemic quality problem at your business? Six Sigma may help. Six Sigma is a set of project-based methodologies used to improve quality and cut costs. Sure, it's used mostly by big companies. But many smaller companies can benefit from its lessons as well. Motorola pioneered it, but General Electric's success made it famous. The most widely ...
Restructuring a Business
How to save a troubled business with a strategic turnaround plan
By Matt Alderton
Running a small business isn't easy. Inevitably, profits sometimes wane and customers may walk away. When that happens — maybe even before it does — it's time to make some changes. Occasionally, those changes can be small. If the wounds are large, however, the bandage will need to be big, too. Restructuring your business — reorganizing your employees, prod...
Writing a Business Mission Statement
Take the time to define your company's identity and direction
By Jennifer Baljko
We're all searching for that spark of inspiration that makes us more passionate, driven and empowered. For businesses, that often comes in the form of a mission statement that helps your company chart its course and deal with the ebbs and flows of an ever-changing business climate. A mission statement may have the look and feel of something in-between a catch-phrase slogan an...
Putting a Business Plan Into Action
Turning a document into reality takes teamwork and focus
By Judith Earley
Your business plan represents your vision for the future. Effective implementation could mean the difference between an expensive hobby or a thriving business. The best business plans will always contain: A summary of what your business does and where you want it to go Measurable objectives and defined targets Conditions under which you will consider an exit plan, including sale an...
Taking Intelligent Business Risks
Zero in on the best opportunities with effective risk management
By Matt Alderton
Most entrepreneurs are born risk-takers. They understand that without risk, there can be no business, that without risk, they can reap no rewards. Risk, however, is a frightening proposition. It suggests danger, stress and the looming possibility of loss. Smart business owners know that risk has a brighter side, too, though. They know that, by definition, risk doesn't only sugg...
ISO Standards and Certification
ISO 9000 and other certifications can help build your company's credibility
By Chris Caggiano
You may have come across one of the following bizarre-looking codes in your business travels: ISO 9002, ISO 14001 and ISO 27003. Each of these arcane codes, formulated by the International Organization for Standardization, represents a different family of quality certifications for companies of all sizes. The ISO 9000 series covers overall organizational quality and efficiency. ISO...
Finding Outside Market Research
With a little savvy, you can access data without paying a fortune
By Lauren Gibbons Paul
If you're expanding a marketing effort or are an entrepreneur in startup mode, you know you need market research — to scope out the size of our industry, determine your best niche, learn about your competitors and figure out how to price your products and services. You also need to figure out your competitive advantage, which means you need to know what problem customer...
Risk Management Consultants
Working with a risk management expert can help you manage risk effectively
By Lou Bortone
Risk management consultants give advice on protecting organizations from potential losses to property, assets or people. A risk management consultant can look broadly at all the threats facing your business, from government regulation to employee theft to equipment going obsolete. They don't sell insurance but they can advise on what insurance you need. Risk management consulta...
Business Process Management (BPM)
Map your way toward business efficiency
By Holly Ocasio Rizzo
Business process management (BPM) can be a confusing arena, but the gist of it is an effort to map, streamline and evaluate any process — whether production, shipping, compliance or planning — so your company operates as efficiently as possible. These three steps will get you on the road to implementing BPM: Determine whether you want part or all of your business simpl...
ISO for Small Business
ISO Self Help Guide for Small Business
By William Ferris
With the release of ISO 2001:2000 small businesses everywhere can establish a quality program which makes them compliant with the standard. We have all heard the horror stories of the cost and time to gain ISO compliance, but the latest release no-longer makes the program out of reach. Every small or medium size business operation can be ISO compliant at some level. The new standar...
Supply Chain Managment Software
Find and buy the right SCM software to streamline operations and increase efficiency
By Rob Spiegel
Supply chain management software providers have been adapting to a changing market. Many of their customers are managing a supply chain that has become global. Their customers are also likely to outsource some or all of their manufacturing. This puts new demands on supply chain management solutions. But vendors in this niche are keeping up by providing supply chain management softw...
Operations Management Software
Streamline key business processes with operations management software solutions
By Judy Artunian
Operations management software systems can simplify many of the processes involved in producing, delivering and marketing products and services. Software for operations management can aid in functions ranging from material requirements planning and work crew scheduling to general project management. With the right operations software, you and your employees can spend more time on i...
Understanding Lean Six Sigma
How lean manufacturing and six sigma are integrated into "lean six sigma"
By bdw1234567
Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma are wildly popular continuous improvement methodologies, utilized by thousands of corporations today.Some companies decide to implement lean manufacturing, while others believe six sigma is the necessary initiative to improve their business. There is now a growing list of initiatives combining both methods under the initiative call...
Lean Manufacturing Training
How to determine your training needs
By bdw1234567
Lean Manufacturing is being implemented in thousands of corporations today. Although the discipline has been in existence for over two decades, only the largest corporations have any long term use of the tools.In fact, many corporations have only begun to implement lean manufacturing. These companies are hoping to achieve the same success w...
How do I source merchandise overseas?
A guide to product sourcing...
By Realbigsource
How do I source merchandise overseas? You are here because you need to source product at the best deal available so you can receive the maximum profit possible. If this is correct you are in the right place, because we will explain the process and point you in the right direction for success. Importing merchandise from around the world may sound somewhat complicated or som...
Long-Term Business Planning
How to use long term business planning to find success
By Nikki Wheeler
In depth business planning is an essential part of the process of starting a business. A good business plan has many functions. A business plan serves as a blueprint for your business, helps attract investors or partners and serves as a basis for business growth. Long term planning in business differs a bit from quick-start business planning. You can write a long term business plan...
Business Operations
Expanding Your Home Based Business Operations
By Kimberly Ben
Most home based businesses are started for a variety of reasons; like a parent's decision to stay home with the children while earning an income. However, the time may come when a home based business owner has reached a point in their business where they have outgrown the kitchen table and must consider business operations management solutions that can elevate a ...
Risk Management Jobs
Enhance your risk management career with sound advice
By Shannon Tani
Risk management is an important aspect of any company. Because of this, it is easy to find risk management job openings in many parts of the country. Someone who has a risk management job sometimes oversees many areas of a company and monitors them to reduce the risk involved. Other risk management jobs require working for an insurance company to determine the level of risk that a ...
Project Management Education and Training
How to get project management certified
By Cat North
Project management training started in the construction and aerospace industries. Now, however, it’s needed in just about every industry, especially IT. Much of business today is project based. Project budgets trump departmental budgets anymore; employees are hired based on projects; and everything seems to have a beginning and an end. What sort of project management training...
Supply Chain Consultants
Utilize supply chain consultants to minimize your costs while maximizing efficiency and production
By A.S. White
If you work in manufacturing or distribution, you know that supply chain management can make or break your cost and production projections. If you have a break in your supply chain, it can cripple your business. If you have an excess of material incoming, you'll have storage costs well beyond your budget. That's why it's important to bring in a supply chain consultant t...
Taguchi Methods and Design of Experiments (DOE)
Use design of experiments software and services for the betterment of your company
By A.S. White
Taguchi Methods and Design of Experiments (DOE) are an oft-utilized and sometimes controversial way of looking at how to improve your company's profit margin. To put it simply, Taguchi methodology focuses on applying engineering techniques to your company's processes rather than more-traditional statistics. By focusing on adjusting your processes' inputs as far up-strea...
Business Process Reengineering
When a company needs radical change, BPR training can help
By Jeanne Dininni
BPR experts define business process reengineering as the radical redesign of organizational processes to achieve drastic improvement in current performance. If your company needs to drastically improve performance in one or more areas, business process reengineering training can have a huge impact on your company's bottom line. The following signs signal your company's need...
Compliance Management Software
The right compliance management application can help keep you one step ahead of regulations
By Jeanne Dininni
The necessity for a regulatory compliance management solution is a fact of life for the modern company. As business owners and leaders do their best to keep up with new regulations and comply with a complex mix of mandates from different regulatory agencies, they often find that they need to consider purchasing or updating current compliance management software.The following are so...
ISO 13485
Stay competitive in medical device manufacturing by achieving ISO 13485 certification
By Amy Jo Garner
The ISO 13485 standard applies to design, production, quality control and management practices of medical device manufacturing companies. ISO 13485 is an international standard that ensures product safety and efficacy. In addition, any medical device company that wants to sell their product in the European Union needs to receive ISO 13485 certification.ISO 13485 certification focus...
