Operations is concerned with transforming resource inputs into product outputs. A product is a good, a service, or a combination of the two. Without a product, you don’t have a business. Because the mission of all organizations revolves around providing products, the operations department is a primary focus of performance. Technology is simply the method the firm uses to transform inputs into outputs.

Operations must effectively use resources, especially physical resources, to make and deliver products. Some refer to products as only goods or services.