Part 1 · How We Make Things
Weeks 1–4. Process choice, layout, project management, and finding the bottleneck.
W1Setup · Tooling & the big picture
Focus
Get oriented. Skim the Course Map and the Cheat Handbook so you can see the whole forest. Set up Excel and an AI assistant.
Orientation pages (skim, don't memorize)
- OSCM Landscape Map — the whole discipline on one screen.
- End Goals of Operations & Supply Chain — what we're optimizing for.
- OSCM Software Mapping — which real tools live where in the stack.
Optional warm-up
Try the Bean Counter Cafe or Operations Integration Explorer game to feel how the pieces connect.
W2"What kind of operation are we running?" · Process Types & Project Management
Decision question: What kind of process best fits this product?
Topic page
Focus
OSCM fundamentals (Ch 1–2), productivity metrics, and project management (Ch 4) — PERT, critical path, EVM, crashing.
W3Process Choice cont. · Layout & Service vs. Manufacturing
Topic page
Focus
Manufacturing process types (Ch 7), facility layout (Ch 8), service process design (Ch 9). The product-process matrix.
Practice
Read the manufacturing and service case packs (Tesla, Boeing, Nike, Toyota; Delta, Starbucks, Amazon, Mayo Clinic).
W4"Where's the bottleneck?" · Process Analysis
Decision question: What single step is limiting the whole system?
Focus
Cycle time, throughput, Little's Law (Ch 11). Pair it with McGraw-Hill Practice Operations Module 1 if you have access.
Practice
Self-check: Bakery Process Analysis (with key)
Part 2 · Where Stuff Comes From & How We Plan
Weeks 5–11. Sourcing, lean logistics, forecasting, S&OP, inventory, MRP.
W5"Where should we build, and who supplies us?" · Sourcing
Decision question: Make or buy? Local or global? Which supplier wins?
Topic page
Focus
Global sourcing (Ch 16), supplier scorecards, total cost of ownership.
W6Lean Supply Chains & Logistics
Topic page
Focus
Lean & JIT (Ch 14), logistics and distribution (Ch 15), the seven wastes (TIMWOOD). McGraw-Hill Practice Operations Module 2 pairs here.
W7Optional rest week · Pick-a-Hat / consulting workshop
Take a breath, or use the week to pick a real company and start the Pick-a-Hat-style consulting project. The Operations Fix-It Challenge handout is a good structure.
W8"What should we make, and how much?" · Forecasting
Decision question: What will customers want next month?
Topic page
Focus
Moving averages, exponential smoothing, trend and seasonality, tracking signals (Ch 18). Try the Alpha Slider Simulator for intuition.
W9Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)
Topic page
Focus
Chase vs. level production, aggregate planning, the S&OP cycle (Ch 19). McGraw-Hill Practice Operations Module 3 pairs here.
W10"How much should we hold, and when do we reorder?" · Inventory
Decision question: How much stock minimizes total cost?
Topic page
Focus
EOQ, reorder points, ABC analysis, safety stock (Ch 20).
W11MRP & Capacity
Topic page
Focus
Bill of materials, MRP logic, gross-to-net (Ch 21) and strategic capacity planning (Ch 5). McGraw-Hill Practice Operations Module 4 pairs here.
Self-check
Part 3 · How We Optimize
Weeks 12–15. Scheduling, theory of constraints, quality, statistical process control, ERP, and the capstone.
W12"Whose work goes first?" · Scheduling & Theory of Constraints
Decision question: In what order do we run the jobs?
Topic page
Focus
Priority rules (SPT, EDD, CR), throughput accounting, the Five Focusing Steps (Ch 22 / 22S). McGraw-Hill Practice Operations Module 5 pairs here. Read the Rhythm of the Roastery story.
W13"How do we keep quality high?" · TQM & Six Sigma
Decision question: What's causing defects and how do we stop them?
Topic page
Focus
DMAIC, the seven tools, cost of quality, 5S, poka-yoke (Ch 12). Read The Midnight Bakery (Part 1).
W14Statistical Process Control & ERP
Topic pages
Focus
Control charts, Cp/Cpk, run rules (Ch 13). ERP & IoT integration (Ch 17). Read The Midnight Bakery (Part 2 — The Night Watchers) and Luna's Bakery Goes Digital.
Self-check
W15Capstone · Pick a company and ship a recommendation
Decision question: Prove you can run this.
Cases page
Focus
Pick one of the six end-to-end cases and ship a one-slide recommendation plus the analysis behind it. McGraw-Hill Practice Operations Module 6 is the integrating sim if you have access.