How is supply chain management different from operations management?
Operations management focuses on planning, controlling and improving an organisation’s internal processes for producing goods or delivering services. Supply chain management takes a broader, end-to-end view, coordinating suppliers, purchasing, logistics, inventory, distribution and sometimes customers across organisational boundaries. Supply chain management therefore includes operations-related decisions but extends beyond one organisation.
Key points
- Operations management may cover capacity, quality, scheduling, process design and workforce or resource use.
- Supply chain management may cover sourcing, supplier relationships, transportation, warehousing, demand planning and information flows.
- The fields overlap, and the balance of topics can differ between courses and universities.
Things to check
- Course titles and content vary, so compare the detailed module descriptions for the programmes you are considering.