What is Operations Management (and Why Should You Care?)
Nothing really works unless you have a way of working
You’ve seen the influencers:
💪 Morning routine fanatics swearing by 5 AM starts and ice baths.
💪 Fitness coaches with The perfect workout plan.
💪 Productivity gurus telling you to “just make a to-do list.”
What do they all have in common? Process.
Having a defined way of doing things makes life (and business) run smoother.
Having a structured system to capture, track, and optimize those processes?
That’s where real efficiency happens.
And if you don’t know how you’re working, no one else will either.
We’ve already talked about these ideas in:
📌 Will the Software Work?
📌 Setting Up Your Software to Optimise Your Business Processes
📌 Why Your Software Isn’t Solving Your Problems
Now, let’s take a deeper look at why Operations Management is just as crucial as Project Management — and why you can’t separate the two.
❔ What is Operations Management?
Operations Management is about optimizing the way work gets done—ensuring people, processes, and resources work efficiently and effectively.
➡️ Identifies bottlenecks that slow projects down.
➡️ Creates repeatable processes that prevent chaos.
➡️ Ensures project outcomes integrate into daily business operations.
💡 If operations are broken, projects suffer.
🚨 A team rolls out new software… but no one uses it properly.
🚨 A product launch happens… but supply chain issues cause delays.
🚨 A marketing campaign is approved… but there’s no process to handle leads.
A good Operations Manager anticipates these roadblocks before they derail projects.
❔ What is Project Management?
While Operations Management is about how work should be done, Project Management is about making sure it gets done.
📌 Operations Managers define how things should run—whether it's business-as-usual (BAU) or major process improvements.
📌 Project Managers (or your PM software like Asana, ClickUp, Monday.com, Notion, etc.) track, monitor, and manage those tasks to ensure they get delivered.
Everyday work (BAU)?
Operations defines the workflow, Project Management ensures execution.
A new change initiative?
You must understand your Operations before launching a Project to improve it.
One without the other? You’re either doing things without a system or systemizing things that aren’t actually being done.
🚀 How Operations & Project Management Work Together
Good project management can’t exist in isolation—if operations are messy, projects will struggle to:
Stay on schedule
Inefficient day-to-day workflows create constant bottlenecks.
Meet expectations
Misaligned operations lead to delivery delays and miscommunication.
Deliver lasting impact
A project might be “done” on paper, but is it actually working?
💡 Example: You’re implementing a new client onboarding process.
📌 The Project Manager ensures the workflow is built and launched on time.
📌 The Operations Manager ensures it’s scalable, repeatable, and actually works across teams.
One without the other? The project might be completed—but the business won’t truly benefit.
🤝 The Magic of PM + Ops Collaboration
When PMs and Operations Managers work together, companies:
✅ Eliminate inefficiencies that slow projects down.
✅ Ensure projects deliver long-term value, not just short-term wins.
✅ Align strategy with execution, so improvements actually stick.
The Project Manager asks: “What needs to be delivered?”
The Operations Manager asks: “How does this fit into our day-to-day work?”
💡 When these roles collaborate, businesses don’t just complete projects—they evolve.
📚 Want to Learn More?
Explore the rest of this blog series:
📖 Why Your Software Isn’t Solving Your Problems
→ Tools don’t fix broken processes. Here’s why your software isn’t the magic solution you expected.
🟢 What is Operations Management (and Why Should You Care?)
→ Operations and project management go hand in hand—if you want smoother projects, you need strong operations.
📖 How to Get Your Team to Actually Use a PM Tool
→ Introducing a tool is easy; getting people to use it is the hard part. Here’s how to drive adoption.
📖 The Cost of Poor Resource Management (and How to Fix It)
→ Missed deadlines, burnout, and inefficiencies—all signs of poor resource management. Here’s how to get it right.
📖 Why Your Project Timelines Keep Slipping (and How to Fix It)
→ Unrealistic deadlines, hidden blockers, and wishful thinking—learn why projects fall behind and how to prevent it.
📖 What Is Scope Creep (and Why Is It So Dangerous)?
→ One "small tweak" at a time, your project doubles in size. Learn how to stay flexible without derailing everything.
📖 Project Risk Management: How to Keep Projects on Track
→ Every project has risks—smart teams plan for them. Here’s how to identify, track, and mitigate risks before they derail success.