Operations Management, 11th edition

Published by Pearson (May 22, 2026) © 2026
  • Nigel Slack
  • Alistair Brandon-Jones
  • Nicola Burgess

Title overview

Help students see how operations shape every industry, from AI-driven innovation to the human decisions at its core.

Operations Management, 11th Edition by Nigel Slack, Alistair Brandon-Jones and Nicola Burgess, is a comprehensive and essential guide which gives students the tools to design, deliver, and improve processes so they feel confident to improve performance in any organization.

Packed with fresh case studies and examples from a variety of industries, this 11th edition brings theory to life and helps students connect with the real world of business.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Clear structure that makes the content reader-friendly, based on the "4 Ds" model of Operations Management.
  • Practice cases and illustrations, explaining key issues occurring in real operations, support your teaching of the subject both in theory and practice.
  • Offering a blending of qualitative and quantitative perspectives, the text uses examples of both techniques.
  • Critical commentaries and case studies challenge your students' critical thinking skills.
  • Responsible operations boxes demonstrate how key concepts relate to important social, ethical, and environmental issues.
  • A set of problem-type exercises and additional individual and group activities support your students' understanding of the subject.
  • Comprehensive summary and a short list of further reading at the end of each chapter, elaborate and expand on related issues offering additional guidance.

New and updated features of this title

  • Greater emphasis on the role of digital transformation and AI in operations management
  • Five new end-of-chapter case studies from a variety of industries demonstrate the application of concepts across diverse real-world operations
  • There are now over 100 "Operations in Practice" examples, which have been updated throughout
  • ‘Go beyond the bots’ exercises test student’s understanding of key concepts and pushes them to critique or validate AI generated answers."

Table of contents

Part 1: Directing the operation

  1. 1. Operations management
  2. 2. Operations performance
  3. 3. Operations strategy
  4. 4. Managing product and service innovation
  5. 5. The structure and scope of supply

Part 2: Designing the operation

  1. 6. Process design
  2. 7. The layout and look of facilities
  3. 8. Process technology
  4. 9. People in operations

Part 3: Deliver

  1. 10. Planning and control
  2. 11. Capacity management
  3. 12. Supply Chain Management
  4. 13. Inventory management
  5. 14. Planning and control systems

Part 4: Development

  1. 15. Operations improvement
  2. 16. Lean operations
  3. 17. Quality management
  4. 18. Managing risk and recovery
  5. 19. Project management

Author bios

Nigel Slack is an Emeritus Professor of Operations Management and Strategy at Warwick Business School, Honorary Professor at Bath University, and 'Honorary Fellow of the European Operations Management Association'. He is an educator, consultant, and writer with a wealth of experience in many sectors.

Alistair Brandon-Jones is a full-chaired Professor in Operations and Supply Chain Management and Head of the Information, Decisions, and Operations Division at the University of Bath, School of Management. He is also an Adjunct Professor for Hult International Business School and Danish Technical University.

Nicola Burgess is a Professor of Operations Management at the University of York. She collaborates extensively with public sector organisations to understand, evaluate, and enhance sustainable system-level improvement and learning. Her research – focused on translating improvement theory into practice – is published widely across world-elite journals, reflecting its significant impact on the field of public operations management.

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