Operations is the systematic, controlled analysis and implementation of processes for a business, intended to streamline productivity and decrease revenue loss.
The person who wants to work in operations should have a wide range of skills related to data analysis, process creation, etc. Here is a curated list of the top things you’ll need to rock operations:
1. Problem Solving
It should go without saying that problem solving is the key aspect of operations, but there’s a proactive element here I want to focus on. You should be actively looking for problems and coming up with solutions. In that way, operations should be a bit more self-directed.
2. Knowing the Path
You’ll need to know how your process works from start to finish. If you have no idea how a marketing-generated lead goes from marketing to sales to become a new piece of revenue, you need to understand that path before you come up with a process for it.
3. Personability
You have to know people all over the business and be able to build solid working relationships with them. Having these connections is vital to knowing what’s going on in your supply line or the marketing funnel. Additionally, the business of operations is people-based. Let your coworkers know that you have their best interests at heart. It goes a long way.
4. Steadiness
The goal of operations is to make things as predictable as possible. Don’t be the person who comes up with flash-in-the-pan, temporary solutions to a problem. You want to be the kind of person who fixes a problem once and for all and makes sure that it doesn’t have to change for a long time.
5. Technological Aptitude
With new applications and management software being developed every day, it can be overwhelming to pick one. But an operations team should leverage new technology to assist them in their task.