For updated information on RRU’s response to COVID-19 please visit the RRU website.

Foundations of Operations Management

Why do so many initiatives fail when organizations attempt to make them operative? Often, it’s because project teams are working on numerous urgent and multi-disciplinary initiatives without a strategy. This course weaves together three powerful truths for successful operations management: effective team-work; purposeful planning; and performance management. During this course, you will learn the skills and apply proven methods to mobilize the energy and commitment of your management teams that transform initiatives into operational success.
Facilitator: Edie Dittman
For more information about this course please contact Professional and Continuing Studies

The power of this course is immersion in a realistic case study in which you will experience and optimize group dynamics with co-learners in a virtual project team. While learning is self-directed, you will apply new skills by leading and completing weekly team assignments and receive feedback from your project team members and your instructor. These weekly activities will be delivered via webinars, online team discussion forums and video conference. By weaving together multidisciplinary skills, and sharing leadership, your team will increase its capacity to be highly innovative and productive

Topics Covered:

  • Assess and align the organization’s strategic goals with project team’s goals
  • Identify team’s shared Purpose and optimize team dynamics through a team agreement that outlines its operating principles
  • Develop communication strategies to engage people who are impacted by your project
  • Plan the work: develop a work breakdown schedule and calculate cost estimates
  • Work the plan: apply a proven method to delegate work that drives performance and apply best practices to monitor team performance

Learning Outcomes:

  • Build self-awareness and describe the five stages of group dynamics. Identify a project team’s shared Purpose that is aligned with the current and future strategic goals of the organization. Overcome challenges when collaborating remotely
  • Analyze project’s impact on its audience and engage them through communication strategies
  • Establish project’s Scope, co-create project’s Work Breakdown Schedule and estimate costs within project’s Budget
  • Empower and motivate team members through effective task delegation
  • Apply best practices to monitor project’s deliverables in-the-moment, and to create a learning environment
  • Recognize individual/team achievements and celebrate success

Learner Effort:

4-6 hours per week
Course work includes assignments, webinars, discussion forums and video conferences.

Synchronous Sessions: 

While the majority of this course is delivered asynchronously, there will be a weekly 3-hour synchronous (live) classroom every Monday over course's duration. During these classrooms, learners will gather with their teams in their own online sessions, to work on their team assignment. All classrooms will be recorded and posted to the course. Teams can also choose to record their team sessions to share with team mates who are unable to attend.

Computer Requirements:
A week prior to the course start date you will receive an email from us with information on how to access the online course. At that time you will receive instructions on pre-work that needs to be completed prior to the course’s first classroom webinar. New to online learning? We encourage you to visit the short orientation video included in the course to familiarize yourself with our online learning platform. You will find the computer requirements for this course through this link: computerservices.royalroads.ca/computer_equip_requirements.