Portal PBS Application Portal Webmail Virtual Campus
View all
View All
International MBA
Executive MBA
Global Online MBA
Double Degree
Accelerated MBA Path
View all
Management and Strategy
Innovation, Digital, and Technology
Communication, Marketing, and Sales
Finance and Management Control
Operations and Projects Management
Talent, Leadership, and Personal Development
Internationalization
Sustainability
Double Degree
For companies
View all Open Executive Programs Advanced Programs Certificates of Excellence The Elective Journey International Experience IXH Summer Schools
Summer Schools
Winter School
DBA
Faculty
Innovation X Hub
Learning Innovation Unit
Dynamic Learning
Student Services: Housing Student Services: Health & Well-being Student Services: Non-european Students Living in Porto – new Student Services: European Students
Scholarships
Cheque-formação + Digital
Why PBS?
Alumni
International Students
Living in Porto
Academic Partners
International Experience
Career Services: For Companies
Career Services: For Students
PBS Portal
Admissions Portal
Webmail
Virtual Campus
Articles
Events
Mission, Vision and Values
Our history
Governing bodies
Rankings and Accreditations
Campus
Gallery
Brand Manifesto
Scholarships
Scheduling a visit
Space rental
Jobs @PBS
Sustainability
PBS Sustainability Model Sustainability Strategic Pillars
Academic Excellence 
Applied Research
Sustainable Campus
Start / Building Excellence in Operations
Open Executive Program Operations and Projects

Building Excellence in Operations

Align your organization’s strategy with operations and maximize value.

About the Program Faculty Certificate Application Contacts
Apply
Next Edition
07 of october, 2027
duration
32 hours
language
Portuguese
investment
1750€
Mode of study
On campus
Download Brochure

Operational excellence has become a strategic skill for those who lead.

European industry is going through a structural transformation, shaped by global competitive pressure, the acceleration of digitalization (Industry 4.0/5.0) and growing sustainability requirements. The Made in Europe initiative (Horizon Europe) and the work of EFFRA place operations at the center of the competitiveness and resilience of European value chains.

Operating model transformations fail more often because of misalignment between strategy and execution, weaknesses in change management and a lack of metrics than because of technology. For CEOs, COOs and senior managers, building operational excellence is now a condition of competitiveness.

+70%

of operational transformation programs fail to meet their targets

McKinsey, Deloitte and PwC studies

Industrial productivity

in Portugal, it remains significantly below the European Union average

OECD, 2024

What Is This Program About?

  • Formulate the operations strategy

    Align the operations strategy with the organization’s competitive strategy, reading trade-offs and the digital evolution of the operating model.

  • Manage the supply chain

    Identify, plan and optimize key operational processes and their main cost elements.

  • Build operational excellence

    Create the culture, standardized system and tools for continuous improvement and operational excellence.

  • Lead operational change

    Drive operational transformations, overcoming resistance to change and monitoring success.

  • Develop high-performance teams

    Build the organizational and team capacity to sustain and expand excellence gains over time.

Skills to Develop

Operations Strategy Supply Chain Management Operational Excellence Lean & Continuous Improvement Change Management Leading High-Performance Teams

Expected Outcomes

  • For you

    A concrete view of the strategic drivers of operational excellence in your organization, with a clear reading of the impact on results.

    Greater capacity to analyze the organizational and team capabilities needed to support and develop an excellence-driven business.

    Competitiveness with value maximization, through direction and alignment, excellence in execution and high-performance teams.

    Structured answers to the critical questions: how to formulate the operations strategy, which decisions ensure competitiveness, how to plan and assess operational excellence practices, and how to manage the dynamics of change.

  • For your organization

    Operations strategies directed at operational excellence, developed and implemented in alignment with the business strategy.

    Natural integration of strategy with process management, with the capacity to transform and solve problems through leadership and high-performance teams.

    Operational excellence as an engine of new competitive capabilities, converted into new businesses and revenue streams.

Who Is This Program For?

Middle-management professionals from public and private organizations, in industry and services, involved in operating model transformation programs and decisions.

  • Chief Operating Officers (COOs)

    Leaders who need to align the operations strategy with the organization’s strategy and structure an excellence plan that sustains competitiveness.

  • Industrial and plant directors

    Profiles with multiple production units or a complex supply chain, who want to strengthen continuous improvement and productivity.

  • Heads of transformation or operational excellence

    Leaders of transformation, lean or Industry 4.0 programs looking to consolidate methodology, metrics and change management.

  • Senior managers and executives

    CEOs, executives and senior staff with direct responsibility for operational innovation and improvement initiatives.

3 Reasons to Choose This Program

  • Faculty with strong industry ties

    Four faculty members specialized in operations strategy, supply chain, operational improvement and change management, with direct experience in national and international industrial projects.

  • Leadership connected to Europe’s Manufacturing 4.0 networks

    Coordinated by Américo Azevedo, member of the EIT Manufacturing CLC West Advisory Board, participant in EFFRA and coordinator of TEC4Industry.

  • An integrated strategy-execution-change approach

    Sequential coverage of strategy formulation, supply chain, operational excellence and change management, in an intensive 32-hour format.

Apply now

Program Structure

32 hours in a face-to-face format, with the option of synchronous remote attendance. Four blocks, from operations strategy to change management.

8h
Américo Azevedo

Operations Strategy
Understand today’s competitive complexity and dynamics; describe and formulate an operations strategy aligned with the organization’s competitive strategy, connecting capabilities, resources and processes; understand the trade-off concept and its impact on the organization; develop and drive the digital evolution of the operating model.

8h
Alcibíades Paulo Guedes

Operational Supply Chain Management
Identify and choose the operational strategies best suited to the value chain’s key resources; analyze, plan and synthesize key operational processes; identify and assess the main cost elements.

8h
António Costa

Improvement & Operational Excellence
Understand the dynamics of improvement and operational excellence; plan and build a culture of excellence; implement a standardized improvement system; choose the best practices and tools; assess and develop operational improvement and excellence programs.

8h
Luís Monteiro

Change Management in Operations
Recognize the main trends and drivers of change; distinguish the (ir)rationals of change and identify sources of resistance and mechanisms to overcome them; develop a structured approach to leading change effectively; apply processes, practices and techniques to manage and monitor the success of change.

Experience immersive learning

The program brings learning closer to the real challenges of operations, with operational excellence cases, application to each company’s context, an operating model diagnosis and a change plan workshop.

01 · Real cases

Operational excellence

Structured discussion of real operational transformation cases in Portuguese and international industrial companies.

02 · Practical application

Your company’s context

Each participant brings challenges from their organization and applies the strategy, supply chain, improvement and change frameworks to their own context.

03 · Diagnosis

Operating model

Guided exercise to diagnose the current operating model and identify transformation priorities.

04 · Workshop

Change plan

Building a structured change management plan, with stakeholder mapping and a monitoring plan.

Program Director

LinkedIn profile

A specialist in Operations Strategy and Management, Digital Transformation and Organizational Design. Professor at FEUP in the Industrial Engineering and Management department and program director at Porto Business School.

He is actively involved in Factories of the Future initiatives, notably with EFFRA (European Factory of the Future Research Association). He is a full member of the EIT Manufacturing CLC West Advisory Board and coordinator of TEC4Industry. He was an advisor to the board of INESC TEC and coordinator of CESE – Centre for Enterprise Systems Engineering.

Américo Azevedo

Program Director
LinkedIn profile

Faculty

Gain access to leading experts, with excellent research and real business experience.

António Costa

Alcibiades Guedes

Américo Azevedo
Luís Monteiro

Luís Monteiro

Customize this program for your team

Get in touch with our Corporate Solutions team

Learn more

Applications

Admission is subject to the availability of places, so we recommend that you submit your application as early as possible.

  • Application stages

    Early Bird | Up to 1 month before the program starts
    1.662,50€

    Application deadline | Up to 1 week before the program starts
    1.750€

  • Included in the fee

    • Class support materials
    • Lunches and coffee breaks on training days
    • Covered parking
    • Certificate of completion

  • Special conditions

    Porto Business School Alumni, University of Porto Alumni and associated companies benefit from special conditions.

    Contact the Admissions team for more information.

Apply now

Certificate of Excellence

Become a reference in the field

Proof of excellence in Operations & Projects upon completing 90 hours of training in this area within 24 months.

  • More informed decisions, with an integrated view of the role
  • A distinctive profile for leadership and transformation roles
  • Credibility with teams, suppliers and partners

Benefit from up to 25% off the total tuition value.

Learn more

Contacts

Still have questions? Our team is here to help.

Rankings

38 th
FT European Business Schools
28 th
European Business School Ranking [Open]
33 th
European Business School Ranking [Custom]
56 th
European Business School Ranking [MBA]

Accreditations

With three international accreditations – AMBA (Association of MBAs), AACSB and EFMD – Porto Business School is among the best business schools in Europe. In 2023, the school renewed its AMBA accreditation for another five years and obtained BGA (Business Graduates Association) accreditation, becoming the first Portuguese business school to achieve this recognition.

Related Programms