Scaling Operations: Linking Strategy and Execution

About this course: Over the past several decades, operations strategy has played an increasingly important role in business’ success. In this course, we will equip you with concepts and tools to build operations in a way that not only supports your competitive strategy, but also allows you to create new opportunities in the market place. Scaling operations: Linking strategy and execution is a five-week course dedicated to making strategic decisions that are grounded in operational reality. Together, we will study how to build and evaluate the “operating system” of the firm to maximize value. This involves tailoring the firm’s operational competencies, assets, and processes to a specific business strategy. Each week, we’ll explore case studies, engage in discussions and examine realistic data. Thanks to our data-driven approach, you’ll be able to implement your learning directly into practice. At the end of this course, you’ll be ready to build an effective, actionable plan to scale your department or organization.

Created by:  Northwestern University

• Taught by:  Gad Allon, Professor of Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences

• Taught by:  Jan A. Van Mieghem, Harold L. Stuart Professor of Managerial Economics; Professor of Operations Management

Commitment 2-4 hours/week Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.5 stars Average User Rating 4.5See what learners said Coursework

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Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research and teaching university with campuses in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, and Doha, Qatar. Northwestern combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment that transcends traditional academic boundaries.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


The VCAP Framework



We start by explaining the concepts of operating systems and operations strategy. Then we introduce the main "VCAP" framework, which connects the key components of operations strategy and identifies three main views to analyze it. The module also describes the key decisions related to operations strategy. Several examples illustrate the impact of operations strategy and the importance of tailoring to increase value and alignment.


4 videos, 6 readings expand

1. Video: 1.1 Introduction and Motivation
2. Video: 1.2 Scalability
3. Video: 1.3 Operations Strategy
4. Video: 1.4 Adopting a Resource, Process, and Capability View
5. Reading: Syllabus
6. Reading: Grading and Logistics
7. Reading: Meet Your Professors
8. Reading: Recommended Textbook
9. Peer Review: Coursera Case Study (not graded)
10. Reading: Lecture Slides
11. Reading: Glossary

Graded: The VCAP Framework

WEEK 2


Value Creation and Operations: The Investor View



We start by reviewing the main idea of using operations to create value (and the VCAP framework). We briefly discuss the key questions and introduce the main firm we are going to use (the Mafia restaurant chain). We discuss the key idea of measuring financial return (EVA and ROIC). Then we introduce the main tool, the ROIC tree. We apply the ROIC tree to the firm and discuss the steps: constructing the tree, identifying metrics, assessing impact (sensitivity analysis), building a growth plan and communicating the narrative.


4 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: 2.1 Introduction and Motivation
2. Video: 2.2 Quantifying Value
3. Video: 2.3 Linking ROIC to Operations with a ROIC Tree
4. Video: 2.4 Planning Scalable Growth in the ROIC Tree and Summary
5. Reading: Quiz 2 Image Prompt
6. Reading: Lecture Slides
7. Reading: Glossary

Graded: Value Creation and Operations: The Investor View
Graded: Waste Wizard Case Study

WEEK 3


Capabilities and Competition: Defensibility and Trade-offs



Module 1 introduced the capability view of operations as the natural link between competitive strategy and operations. In this module we will investigate this link in greater depth and use the capability view to assess the competitive risk the firm faces. A good operations strategy clearly stipulates which capabilities are critical and which are of secondary importance. One can't have it all: operational capabilities exhibit trade-offs and superior performance requires making choices. But where do these trade-offs come from and how can operations shape them to our competitive advantage? That is the subject of this module. We will outline the main challenge; develop the framework, and the use a simple case to illustrate it.


4 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: 3.1 Introduction and Motivation
2. Video: 3.2 The Concept of Tradeoff Curves
3. Video: 3.3 Tradeoff Curves to Analyze Competitive Threat
4. Video: 3.4 Example: Sugar and Spice
5. Reading: Sugar & Spice Desserts
6. Peer Review: FleetComm (not graded)
7. Reading: Lecture Slides
8. Reading: Glossary

Graded: Quiz 3

WEEK 4


Process Strategy: Strategic Sourcing



In the previous modules, we introduced the VCAP framework for operations strategy and studied value and capabilities. We learned how to invest assets in the face of uncertain demand. Now we turn our attention to structuring operational processes. In this module, we will analyze two essential components of operations strategy: the questions of who should perform an activity or process in the value chain, and how we should manage the supply relationship.


4 videos, 2 readings expand

1. Video: 4.1 Introduction and Motivation
2. Video: 4.2 Forecasting and Modeling Uncertainty
3. Video: 4.3 Tools to Incorporate Uncertainty into Capacity Analysis
4. Video: 4.4 Optimal Capacity Sizing
5. Reading: Lecture Slides
6. Reading: Glossary

Graded: Quiz 4
Graded: Sweet and Sour Tea

WEEK 5


Asset Strategy: Capacity Sizing



Modules 1 through 3 of the course introduced the VCAP framework for operations strategy and outlined the main diagnostic tools. We discussed how operations create value V and the role of capabilities in a competitive environment. In this module, we adopt the resource view and turn our attention to the assets that comprise the operating system of the firm. We start with the capacity sizing and investment decision in this chapter. After discussing the key trade-offs and challenges in a capacity strategy, we study how uncertainty impacts capacity valuation. Maximizing this value suggests guidelines on how we can tailor an operation's capacity sizing decision.


4 videos, 2 readings expand

1. Video: 5.1 Introduction and Motivation
2. Video: 5.2 The Spectrum of Sourcing Relationship
3. Video: 5.3 A Framework for the Outsourcing Decision
4. Video: 5.4 Total Cost of Ownership and Total Landed Cost
5. Reading: Lecture Slides
6. Reading: Glossary

Graded: Quiz 5