Operations management taxonomy

Operations management is responsible for achieving an effective and efficient transformation process. Changes taking place in the marketplace and in technology require the correct positioning of operations in the production of goods and services. The service sector within our economy has grown tremendously, representing an even greater share of our gross national product. A general operations management (OM) paradigm, combining both goods and services, will help researchers as well as practitioners. This operations model keys on the definition of the product/service produced. The major groupings of the first two dimensions of the model depend on (1) market requirements and (2) whether the product/service is discrete or divisible, fixed site or transportable. Major groupings of the operations activities, required to effectively and efficiently transform the product/service, define the management approach and product/process technology used. These represent the third dimension to our model. The fourth dimension is the time available to plan and implement solutions to operations problems.