Role of Operations? What does it entail?
We have all seen those job titles — Operation Manager, Chief Operation Officer, Chief Financial Operator. What does having a role in operations actually entail though?!
The truth is, each operation role is a little different at each company. They all may perform different tasks — but they do share some similar characteristics!
Efficiency is Key
People who work in operations are natural problem solvers. They look in different departments of their company for time-consuming tasks and try to implement a system to reduce the time to perform these tasks! This could entail building systems, and automating work. Who would not want their jobs to become easier? The other departments will be glad to have you as part of the team!
Anywhere you look, you can find process that could be streamlined. That is your job in an operation role. Look/Ask for problems that your team experiences, and implement a way to make life easier for them. You need to become familiar with every process of your company, like how a lead from a marketing team goes to sales and hopefully to revenue for the company. This could also entail making communication from the sales department to the customer easier, or making payment easier for the company. Every step of the way can be evaluated and made more simple!
Qualities to Work in an Operation Role —
- Organization
Organization is extremely important for the operations' role. How can you expect to be efficient if data is scattered everywhere?! Having everything as organized as possible helps to have max efficiency for you and your team.
2. Desire for Improvement
Even if your company is going really well, there is always room for improvement! There are new programs/systems being created every day. Finding those programs, exploring alternative systems that may improve your company, and always having the drive to be better is what someone in an operation role excels at! You have to stay curious and be open-minded to try new things!
3. Be a Good Listener
People have no idea how you make their jobs easier. They cannot lay out a step-by-step plan for you on how to make their jobs easier. You can however, identify the issues that they are struggling with. Ask them about the troubles that they deal with on a day-to-day basis, what they struggle most with on the job, and if they lived in a perfect world, how could their job be easier? You may not be able to solve all the problems they have, but I bet you could begin developing a system to make their lives easier!
What could a position in an operations' role look like?
Considering operations can be applicable to any department in a company, their roles could be vastly different. A chief financial operator may look to find ways to reduce costs in the companies spending. They also may move money from other departments to increase revenue for the company.
An operations' manager may manage the staffing and hiring process of a company. They could also deal with the inventory that their company has to ensure the company is not overproducing. They could also compare shipping prices for their material against many mail carries to make sure that they are getting the best bang for their buck.
An operations’ specialist could work to improve workflow and day-to-day business activities for the people in their company. They are the ones to identify the customer’s needs as well as delivering the best system for the employees to used to ensure that the customer’s needs are met. Their goal is to increase employee performance.
Operation roles are crucial at every company. They offer solutions to your team members that will help increase efficiency for everyone in the company, and make working life a little easier. They are there to cut costs-and increase revenue!
