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Operations Systems Excellence

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Operations Systems Excellence

Name: Operations Systems Excellence
Rating: 4.694117647058824 (85 reviews)

This course is part of Business and Marketing Strategies Specialization

Instructor: Alan Pilkington

9,963 already enrolled

Included with

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3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

85 reviews

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

Prepare for a degree

Learn more

3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

85 reviews

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

Prepare for a degree

Learn more

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

3 assignments

Taught in English

91%

of learners achieved a positive career outcome

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Business and Marketing Strategies Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 3 modules in this course

The sole task of organisations is to either deliver customers the services that they require, or design, manufacture, and deliver products that customers are after. How do firms and organisations manage the very tasks that they carry out? How can operations themselves give excellence to organisations to enable them to be competitive?

Module details

This week lays the foundation for your journey into operations management. You’ll discover how organisations transform inputs into valuable outputs and the frameworks used to analyse this process. With the 4Vs model, you'll learn to examine the unique features that shape different types of operations.

What's included

2 videos9 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

2 videosTotal 9 minutes

Operations management in context4 minutes
Volume and variety5 minutes

9 readingsTotal 225 minutes

Course structure and navigation5 minutes
Learn effectively this course5 minutes
Introduction to week 15 minutes
Start a study journal10 minutes
Defining operations management60 minutes
Activity – Case study on complex operation coordination (aeroplane turnaround)60 minutes
The 4V theory of operations management60 minutes
Further reading10 minutes
Summary10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

What is operations excellence?30 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 70 minutes

Activity – Plot a transformation model of a process60 minutes
Case study – Applying the 4V theory to a process10 minutes

This week focuses on how operations contribute to strategy and competitive advantage. You'll examine how firms develop operations strategies and use models like Hayes and Wheelwright and Hill’s framework to understand how operations support customer needs and drive long-term success.

What's included

2 videos5 readings1 assignment3 discussion prompts

2 videosTotal 9 minutes

Operations strategy5 minutes
Defining services4 minutes

5 readingsTotal 200 minutes

Introduction to Week 210 minutes
Activity – Zara’s operations strategy60 minutes
The four-stage model60 minutes
Activity – Defining services60 minutes
Summary10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Operations strategy for excellence 30 minutes

3 discussion promptsTotal 130 minutes

Order qualifiers and order winners60 minutes
Application of the four-stage model10 minutes
Activity – Servitisation60 minutes

This week explores how operations are structured through processes. You’ll learn to classify process types, apply mapping tools, and understand how layouts can be designed to support efficiency. The focus is on how process design directly affects customer satisfaction and performance.

What's included

1 video5 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

1 videoTotal 2 minutes

Course conclusion2 minutes

5 readingsTotal 200 minutes

Introduction to Week 310 minutes
The chocolate production process60 minutes
Activity – Case study: Dell make to order60 minutes
Activity – Case study: What Tesla needed to learn to compete with existing car makers60 minutes
Course summary10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Process design for excellence30 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 120 minutes

Activity – Can you buy a bespoke washing machine?60 minutes
Activity – Swim lane diagram60 minutes

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Prepare for a degree

Taking this course by University of London may provide you with a preview of the topics, materials and instructors in a related degree program which can help you decide if the topic or university is right for you.

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(21 ratings)

Alan Pilkington

University of London

3 Courses41,613 learners

Offered by

University of London

Learner reviews

5 stars
80%
4 stars
15.29%
3 stars
0%
2 stars
3.52%
1 star
1.17%

Showing 3 of 85

Reviewed on Jan 4, 2026

This is an excellent course with different case studies that make you think out of the box. Highly recommended to understand the amazing cases and apt for the roles who are in Ops.

Reviewed on Apr 10, 2023

Wonderful Experience, the videos and articles were of great content. I would love to have a more exhaustive version.

View more reviews