What Do Operations Managers Actually Do? (It’s More Than You Think!)
Ever tried explaining your job as an Operations Manager at a party? If you have, you probably got a blank, confused look in return.
Yet, everything we use, buy, and consume—from fast food and Amazon deliveries to hospital care and IT support—exists thanks to Operations Managers.
So, what do they actually do?
The Four Key Responsibilities of an Operations Manager:
📌 Designing Operations – Planning the processes, layouts, resources, and workflows that make businesses run efficiently. Factories, hospitals, airports, and restaurants don’t just happen—they’re designed by operations professionals.
📌 Delivering Operations – Keeping the system running. Machines don’t run factories, Operations Managers do. Pilots don’t run airports—Operations Managers do. It’s about planning, scheduling, and problem-solving every single day.
📌 Developing Operations – Even the best-designed system needs continuous improvement. Whether it’s cutting costs, improving service times, or integrating new tech, operations leaders drive change.
📌 Directing Operations – Steering the ship. Reviewing performance, reallocating resources, adjusting strategies—this is where an OM ensures the business stays on track for growth and efficiency.
Operations Management: The Hidden Role in Every Industry
Operations Management isn’t just for factories and logistics. If you’re a head chef, software development lead, senior lawyer, military captain, or department manager, chances are, you’re already an Operations Manager—whether you realize it or not.
Many people get promoted into operations-heavy roles simply because they were great at their previous job—a fantastic engineer, doctor, programmer, or salesperson—but suddenly, their new role is more about managing systems, people, and resources than their original skillset.
And that’s where the struggle begins…
Are You Ready to get serious about your Operations Management credentials?…
If you’ve found yourself in an operations-heavy role (or you’re aspiring to move up), you want to be building on a foundation of the core professional knowledge, tools and approaches.
If you’ve not taken my Operations Management course before, we’re looking to launch a whole new style of program.
It will follow the syllabus of my incredibly popular course but over an intense, structured 4 week period. Everyone will join and start at the same time. Each week you’ll study 2-3 modules, do the assessments and practice quiz and then we’ll finish the week with a live webinar from me.
I’ve not offered the course in this way before so please let me know if you're keen for it.
Register your interest here, and get $100 off the launch price
Operations Management is the backbone of every organization—and mastering it is your shortcut to becoming indispensable.
Crack On!
Laurence Gartside
Founder and Instructor @Rowtons Training
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