Book excerpt: Operations Management for Executives reveals all that managers should know to be able to turn the operations of their companies into a source of competitive advantage. Understanding operations is key to improve how any organization actually works. In fact, excellence and innovation in operations have played an essential role in many of the great success business stories of our time: Zara, Ikea, Dell, Amazon, Toyota, Alibaba. In this book, the authors explain operations management from a general management standpoint. They provide a practical guidebook focused on: •Understanding the key concepts and methodologies •Avoiding unnecessary technicalities•Analyzing the impact of operations in all areas of a company•Revealing key levers to help managers realize the full potential of their companies. This book covers traditional areas in operations management, such as process design, capacity analysis, inventory management and queueing theory, or quality management. In addition, you’ll find advanced topics such as lean management, procurement, supply chain management, as well as aspects that are seldom addressed in other operations books, such as project management, human and organizational factors in operations, and operations innovation.