Book excerpt: Organizations of all types are consistently working on new initiatives, product lines, and workflows as a way to remain competitive in the modern business environment. No matter the type of project at hand, employing the best methods for effective execution and timely completion of the task is essential to business success. Operations and Service Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a comprehensive reference source for the latest research on business operations and production processes. It examines the need for a customer focus and highlights a range of pertinent topics such as financial performance measures, human resource development, and business analytics, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for managers, professionals, students, researchers, and academics interested in operations and service management.