Bringing in an experienced senior operations leader that has expertise across a wide variety of disciplines to your organization can provide many benefits. Here are a few examples of how this position can help your organization:

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• The organization has grown rapidly and now your legacy processes and systems are preventing further growth or are cost-prohibitive.

• Your operations group is not producing as expected and you need an in-depth overview of their current situation and areas of opportunity.

• Your organization is at a strategic crossroads and you need an unbiased, experienced strategic partner to assist identifying a path, creating a viable road map, and then assisting in the execution.

• You have areas in multiple disciplines (IT, Marketing, Analytics, Training, Operations, etc.) that need help aligning on organizational goals and executing these goals effectively.

• You have a critical, time-sensitive project that needs to be completed. Your existing staff may not have the expertise or capacity to effectively handle this project or it may divert their attention from other critical projects.

This is a short list of the many benefits a fractional COO can bring to your organization. It is a very cost-effective way to elevate your organization. You can typically engage this position from 4 to 30 hours per week and it can last from several months or longer, depending on your specific situation and needs. It’s an excellent short-term solution for many companies.

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In its broadest sense, operations management is responsible for all aspects of creating goods and services. It manages resources such as materials, machines, technology, and people, and makes products and services that the marketplace wants. The whole chain of events must be well managed for a business to be competitive.

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As we define operations management more fully, we consider these foundations of OM:

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• Planning: Operations managers must constantly forecast, plan, and adjust to optimize processes based on conditions.

• Process: Production of goods or services requires having strong, repeatable processes.

• Efficiency: Managers must troubleshoot bottlenecks, inadequate resources, and down times to create optimal efficiency.

• Cost Control: Production is typically a major part of a company’s cost structure, and you must manage it wisely.

• Quality: Good quality control is necessary to maintain customer satisfaction and the company’s reputation. Companies can greatly suffer without it.

• Continuous Improvement: To remain competitive, companies need to have processes in place to consistently seek better ways of doing things.

• Technology: Underlying all of these foundations is technology. Well-used technology keeps a company ahead of the curve.

• Profitability: Executed properly, all of the above foundations lead to a strong bottom line.

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