A new curriculum in Service Systems Engineering, which consists of eight new courses, is being established. Four courses were developed in the first year. One of the courses was Service Systems Operations (SSO). Since most OM authors have integrated the production of goods and services in single text, with much emphasis still on manufacturing operations, coupled with the lack of emphasis on co-creation or co-production, the course developers experienced pedagogical and contextual challenges in creating the course. This paper will outline the comparison of traditional OM with service systems operations to highlight the similarities and differences between the two. Additionally the course objectives and pedagogy that will be used in instruction of the course will be shared. Also presented will be the link between the program and course objectives to position the course and curriculum for ABET accreditation. Course Development The Service Systems Operations course was designed and developed to provide the foundation in several areas: (a) Continue from the fundamentals course, Introduction to Service Systems Engineering, which establishes the foundation for SSO, with emphasis on organizational context and quantitative problem solving, (b) Apply of operations management, with emphasis on service systems, (c) Integrate of systems engineering design and analysis principles with traditional and new OM concepts, tools, and techniques, and (d) Understanding several different service sectors. Several articles and presentations have outlined the process, from inception to course offering, for the newly developed Service Systems Engineering Curriculum [1] [3] [4]. Primary emphasis has been to integrate the curriculum as a part of the existing Bachelor of Science in Engineering to ensure it was aligned with the requirements of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Alignment of the course with the ABET programmatic objectives was essential in developing a congruent set of course objectives. The course objectives are presented in the next sections. Course Objectives SSO is a survey course introducing major concepts and techniques used to manage the service system operations function. The course considers both managerial and analytical issues, since an effective decision-maker must be proficient in both areas. After completing this course, students will be able to: (1) describe the operations function in service and manufacturing firms, (2) integrate service system operations with other disciplines, (3) apply specific operational tools and techniques, including quantitative and qualitative, to make more informed decisions, and (4) provide solutions to real-life service systems problems through analysis, evaluation, and selection of solutions. The specific course objectives are aligned with the program objectives and outcomes to ensure congruence with the Bachelor of Science in Engineering program and ABET accreditation. The specific course objectives have been matched with the program objectives and outcomes with the details presented in Appendix A. Course Textbooks The course was developed during the summer 2007. The initial texts used for curriculum development have since been replaced with new editions, with similarities in content. Below is the information on the prior and current texts. Editions of Texts used for Development Operations Management for Competitive Advantage, 11 ed., Chase, Jacobs, and Aquilano, McGraw-Hill Irwin, @2006. (ISBN 0-07-298393-0). Service Management: Operations, Strategy, Information Technology, 5 ed., Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons, McGraw-Hill Irvin, @ 2006. (ISBN 0-07-298230-6). Current Editions of Texts Operations and Supply Management, 12 ed., Jacobs, Chase, and Aquilano, McGraw-Hill Irwin, @2009. (ISBN 0-07-327873-4). Service Management: Operations, Strategy, Information Technology, 6 ed., Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons, McGraw-Hill Irvin, @ 2008. (ISBN 0-07-722849-9). Course Topics The topics covered in this course are listed with major categorical description along with a list of some of the key concepts, tools, and techniques. Process Analysis Process analysis Process flowcharting Types of processes Performance measures Process analysis examples Process throughput time reductions Service Productivity The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Model DEA and strategic planning Work Measurement Job design decisions Behavioral considerations Work methods Work measurements and standards Financial incentive plans Service Facility Layout Servicescapes Facility design Process analysis Facility layout Service Facility Location Location considerations Estimating geographic demand Location techniques Site considerations GIS systems Forecasting Subjective methods Causal models Time series models Managing Waiting Lines The psychology of waiting The economics of waiting Features of queuing systems (review) Simulation Systems simulation ServiceModel simulation software Process analysis Build a Model: Tutorial Capacity Planning Capacity planning Analytical queuing models (review) Capacity planning criteria Service Supply Relationships Supply chain management Service supply relationships Sources of value Outsourcing services Mass customization Vehicle Routing Field service The Clark-Wright Algorithm Vehicle routing with constraints A manual routing system Inventory Management Inventory theory Order quantity models Inventory management under uncertainty Inventory control models Single-period models Aggregate Planning Sales and operations planning Aggregate operations planning Aggregate planning techniques Aggregate planning in services * Strategies for managing demand * Yield management Service Scheduling Work centers Priority rules and techniques Personnel scheduling in services * Strategies for managing capacity The next section presents a comparison of the topical content in a Service Systems Operations course versus a traditional Operations Management course. Comparison of Course Topics to Traditional OM Course In order to compare the topical content of the SSO course with traditional Operations Management course, the contents of a typical OM text will be used. In this case, the 7 edition of the Principles of Operations Management by Heizer and Render, 2008 [2], was selected. This is one of the more popular OM texts used and that is the reason for its selection as a basis for comparison. There are a number of operations management texts in publication with similar chapters. The table on the next page includes information about the content to be covered in the Service Systems Operations course along side the similar topics in the Principles of Operations Management textbook. Service Systems Operations Principles of Operations Management Process Analysis Chapter 7: Process Strategy – a section on Process Analysis and Design Service Productivity Chapter 1: Operations and Productivity – one page of coverage Work Measurement Chapter 10: Human Resources and Job Design and Chapter 10 Supplement: Work Measurement – major emphasis is manufacturing Service Facility Layout Chapter 9: Layout Strategies – major emphasis is manufacturing and not service Service Facility Location Chapter 8: Location Strategies – major emphasis is on manufacturing Forecasting Chapter 4: Forecasting Managing Waiting Lines NA Simulation NA Capacity Planning Chapter 7 Supplement: Capacity Planning Service Supply Relationships Chapter 11: Supply Chain Management – emphasis on goods more than services Vehicle Routing NA Inventory Management Chapter 12: Inventory Management – combination of goods and services Aggregate Planning Chapter 13: Aggregate Planning – although there is discussion regarding service, examples and major emphasis is on manufacturing Service Scheduling Chapter 15: Scheduling – more emphasis on manufacturing, with some discussion at end of chapter about services Table 1: Comparison of Service System Operations and Principles of OM Topics Not Included in Service Systems Operations Course There are a number of topics covered in a traditional OM course but have not been included in this Service Systems Operations course for two primary reasons. The first reason is some of the content was included in the Introduction to Service Systems Engineering course. It was necessary to lay the foundation for service industries. Content covered in the first course from Service Management by Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons, 5 edition, included the following: • Role of Services in an Economy • Nature of Services • Service Strategy • New Service Development • Technology in Services • Service Quality • Service Encounter • Growth and Globalization of Services There are some topics included in the Principles of Operations Management by Heizer and Render, 7 edition that were not included in the SSO class but were covered in the Introduction to Service Systems Engineering course. They are: • Operations and Productivity – primary emphasis in the productivity chapter is on goods and manufacturing • Operations Strategy – focus on goods • Project Management – there is a separate course for this topic • Design of Goods and Services – the design strategy for service is extensively discussed in the introductory course • Managing Quality – covered in the context of service quality • Statistical Process Control – covered in a later course with emphasis on service • Supply Chain Management – more emphasis on goods • Outsourcing as a Supply Chain Strategy – primary focus on goods • Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and ERP – although this is relevant in managing supplies for service operations, it has primary focus on goods manufacturers • JIT and Lean Operations – discussion centers on goods • Maintenance and Reliability – more in the context of goods but there is discussion on utilities Differences in Service and Goods It is important to recognize that the production of goods and services go hand in hand. Most traditional operations managem