The workforce is changing with technology and automation is disrupting almost every industry and job role. While these changes create tremendous potential for companies to increase productivity, efficiency and the quality of outputs, it is creating challenges for employees struggling to understand the trajectory of their careers. Most of the discussions about the future of work have centered on the impact of today\u2019s jobs and those automation will replace. The adoption of new technologies and automation is also creating entirely new roles and exciting career opportunities for workers.<\/p>\n
Operations management is an area with much career potential as a result of workforce changes. Companies are investing considerable resources to update their manufacturing and operations systems \u2013 adding advanced sensors, industrial IoT devices, mobile capabilities, machine learning and even artificial intelligence (AI) to their environment. These investments are materializing in the form of smart factories, autonomous vehicles, robotic pick systems in warehouses and highly orchestrated supply chain networks. Humans configure and train these machines, but once they are running, they operate independently. What happens, however, after these systems are built?<\/p>\n
Change is the only constant and one of the biggest lessons companies are learning through digital transformation and the modernization of manufacturing processes that are parts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Systems and processes that work well today aren\u2019t likely to fulfill a company\u2019s needs a few months or a few years from now. The challenge isn\u2019t just continuous improvement to sustain and improve upon current production levels \u2013 companies must embrace the idea of continuous evolution of their manufacturing and operations processes. This is where operations management becomes critical.<\/p>\n
The \u201cage of autonomous machines\u201d may seem to leap from the screen of a science fiction movie, but many companies are essentially experiencing it today. In this new era, an operations management staff has two critically important roles. The first is driving continuous evolution \u2013 looking at how technology is used to support the changing nature of the business environment. The second role is managing the machines and technology already in use to support your operations.<\/p>\n
Autonomous machines and other modern technology is just like the technology we\u2019ve experienced for decades \u2013 flawed. It will break; it will require maintenance and tuning; and it will have a multitude of problems. The rules and procedures programmed into machine-learning algorithms will have errors and generate unexpected results. Automation can enable you to produce products faster, but when it operates poorly or incorrectly, it also creates problems faster.<\/p>\n
Modern operations management is a field focused on solving problems \u2013 technical problems and business problems. It is a data-intensive career field that will require both analytical and critical thinking skills \u2013 identifying problems, diagnosing their root-cause and formulating corrective and preventative actions. Emerging technology won\u2019t replace this field \u2013 technological change will fuel its demands.<\/p>\n