TQM Lab — Micro-credential short courses

Accredited short course through Cranefield College

Production & Operations Management.

The on-the-job school for developing managers and leaders. CEOs consistently rank operations know-how as one of the most critical areas of employee capability — this course turns that priority into practical competence.

Begin with the story

An introduction to Production & Operations Management.

Structure

4 themes · 15 study units

Format

Distance learning

Duration & fee

Contact us for details

Accreditation

Cranefield College micro-credential

Why Production & Operations

Operations is where strategy becomes delivery.

Every product made, every service delivered and every customer kept happy depends on decisions made inside operations. This course gives you the full POM body of knowledge — from strategic contribution to design, planning, control and continuous improvement — so you can make those decisions with confidence.

It is built for working managers: practical frameworks you can apply immediately, threaded through with the quality thinking that makes improvement stick. Whether you are in manufacturing, services, projects or supply chain, the principles scale.

  • Connect operations strategy to competitive advantage
  • Design processes, layouts and jobs that actually work
  • Plan capacity, inventory and schedules with less waste
  • Improve continuously using quality and lean thinking

Course outline

Four themes. Fifteen study units. One complete operations picture.

Theme 01

Introduction and Strategic Contribution of POM

  1. 01POM and productivity management
  2. 02POM terminologies, tasks, principles and objectives
  3. 03POM strategy for competitiveness
  4. 04Social responsibility and sustainable development
  5. 05Innovation and the next industrial revolution
Theme 02

Design Aspects of POM

  1. 01POM design, process types, layout and work flow
  2. 02Product design and job design
Theme 03

Planning and Control Aspects of POM

  1. 01Demand management and capacity planning and control
  2. 02Aggregate planning, MPS and operations scheduling
  3. 03Inventory, MRP, ERP, JIT and supply-chain planning & control
  4. 04Project management
Theme 04

Improving POM

  1. 01Quality, quality management and TQM
  2. 02POM maintenance and continuous improvement
  3. 03Sociotechnical ergonomics and OHS
  4. 04TQS for service quality excellence

Natural next step

Theme 4 leads straight into TQM.

Production & Operations Management and Total Quality Management are natural companions. Students who complete POM often continue into TQM to deepen the quality and continuous-improvement thinking that runs through Theme 4 — and TQM students frequently find that POM gives them the operational language to put their quality knowledge to work.

Explore Total Quality Management

Your lecturer

Led by Prof Rigard Steenkamp.

An Emeritus Professor with a DCom in Quality and Operations Management, 20 years as Professor at UNISA and 15 years leading its TQM Programme, Prof Rigard has taught, published and practised operations and quality management for more than four decades.

Meet your lecturer

Ready to register?

Start building operations capability that shows up at work.

Contact us for the latest fee, intake date and study schedule. Monthly intakes mean you do not need to wait for a new term to begin.

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