45-864 Operations Strategy
6 units, Carnegie Mellon University
The goal of this course is to provide conceptual frameworks and analytical tools to optimize key decisions in formulating operations strategy. In particular, we will study: (1) process & resource strategy, and (2) supply chain & outsourcing strategy. The intended audience for this course is those who seek better understanding of the connection between operations and strategy, including an operations manager, a general or marketing manager (who interfaces with operations), a consultant, and an entrepreneur. Operations strategy enables the execution of corporate/business strategy (i.e., how to best deliver the value proposition), and it involves configuring and developing resources & processes used to design, produce, distribute, and deliver goods and/or services. Operations strategy must be aligned with other functional strategies, and therefore this course is integrative in nature, drawing upon concepts introduced in other disciplines such as strategy, marketing, finance, and organizational behavior. This course is the highest-level elective in the operations concentration, and it is also counted for the strategy concentration. Operations strategy must build on good understanding of day-to-day operations management as well as corporate/business strategy. The strategic decisions studied in this course require a detailed analysis and understanding of the underlying operations. Thus, this course may have a greater amount of concreteness and detail than a corporate strategy class. The class format is a combination of lectures and case discussions. For class discussions, the instructional format will be a dialogue between the students and the instructor, tending toward the Socratic approach, should the dialogue languish. We will also play online live simulation games, followed by debriefing and discussions of different strategies chosen. (1.11.2021)
Prerequisites: 45-760 (min C)
Offered: Spring 2027, Fall 2026, Spring 2026, Fall 2025
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