Book excerpt: Since the beginning of mankind on Earth, if the "busyness" process was successful, then some form of benefit sustained it. The fundamentals are obvious: get the right inputs (materials, labor, money, and ideas); transform them into highly demanded, quality outputs; and make it available in time to the end consumer. Illustrating how operations relate to the rest of the organization, Production and Operations Management Systems provides an understanding of the production and operations management (P/OM) functions as well as the processes of goods and service producers. The modular character of the text permits many different journeys through the materials. If you like to start with supply chain management (Chapter 9) and then move on to inventory management (Chapter 5) and then quality management (Chapter 8), you can do so in that order. However, if your focus is product line stability and quick response time to competition, you may prefer to begin with project management (Chapter 7) to reflect the continuous project mode required for fast redesign rapid response. Slides, lectures, Excel worksheets, and solutions to short and extended problem sets are available on the Downloads / Updates tabs. The project management component of P/OM is no longer an auxiliary aspect of the field. The entire system has to be viewed and understood. The book helps students develop a sense of managerial competence in making decisions in the design, planning, operation, and control of manufacturing, production, and operations systems through examples and case studies. The text uses analytical techniques when necessary to develop critical thinking and to sharpen decision-making skills. It makes production and operations management (P/OM) interesting, even exciting, to those who are embarking on a career that involves business of any kind.