Project management vs. Operations management

Management of work with a start date outlined tasks, and a due date relates to project management. Project managers are obliged to facilitate the availing of projects, conveying tasks to developers and designers and the goal of ensuring customer satisfaction. Operations management on the other hand relates to continuous management of daily work plans of a company, ensuring staff provides uninterrupted service delivery for optimum operations through all departments within a company. Operations management has no completion date as compared to project management.

Differences between project and operations management are subject to perspective. Theoretically, these distinctions are quite clear. However, in practice it’s an issue of management approach where the finest practices of both are pooled to advance on efficiency and effectiveness.

A common view of a project is the limit to a set timeframe. On the other hand operations management, in theory, is the perpetual running of a business on a daily basis. An example being, a telecommunications provider offers services continuously and may offer a contractor work on the development of systems therefore the contactor’s upgrading is within the scope of the operations management of the telecommunications provider. The contractor’s project may be involved with the telecommunications provider for 3 months while the telecommunications provider will continue with operations in the long run.

Project management plans its works based on an agreed-upon period inclusive of a start and end date within which work is planned to be complete. With a defined deployment and completion date, the project management scenario is to work within the stipulated duration to coincide with the objectives of the operation management’s plans on the project as a constituent of future operations.

Projects are managed on a prepared and approved budget with clear cost analysis which is to be adhered to through to completion. Operations management on the other hand, works on a budget dictated upon by set profit margins. Therefore, a projects budget can be viewed as a fixed cost in an operation management’s budget costing the project..

When the operations management intends to award a project, there arises the query as to whether it a first time project or not, the operation management structure tend to prefer project management structures with similar management styles for optimization of the working relationship.

Both operations and project management tends to encourage teamwork as a vital component to meet set objectives. However project management being more technical and flexible in the nature of its operations look into factors like environment, specialized skills and cultural factors when hiring personnel for their work. They also engage in offering temporary employment as compared to operations management’s objective to meet profit targets by employing different skills for a workable synergy for the long term.

Operations management relies on project management for specialized skills in project budgets, work and eventually integration to the operations of a given company.

For the operation management, development of new products is seen as an area best covered through project management. This is due to technical advancements and searches for new markets and customer specifications.

Reference

Tandoc, M. (2010). Comparative Analysis: Project versus Operations Management. Retrieved on February 11, 2011 from http://www.suite101.com/content/project-versus-operations-management—comparative-analysis-a254122

Weismann, F., (2011) Project Management vs. Operational Management. Yahoo! Contributor Network. Retrieved on February 11, 2011 from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/578727/project_management_vs_operational_management_pg2.html?cat=3

Babou. (2008). Project vs Operational. Retrieved on February 11, 2011 from http://leadershipchamps.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/project-vs-operational-work/

Operations Management – Project Management. Retrieved on February 11, 2011 from http://www.bized.co.uk/fme/5-11.htm

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