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Operations Management
Operations Project FAQ - Fall 2012

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Operations Project FAQ

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS ACTIVITY?

This project is designed to allow you to develop your skills of working with a real operation for real clients, in a cooperative way, to create a real solution that the clients are confident they can deliver on.

DO I WORK IN A TEAM?

This is a team project. Teams will consist of about 4 persons.

WHAT'S INVOLVED IN THE TASK?

You will identify a specific operation, analyze it from many perspectives, and develop a recommendation for improvement, backed by quantitative data predicting the magnitude of the improvement you expect to see from the change. You will be expected to use quantitative and process modeling to assist the decision process. This is not a marketing or behavior project, but is designed to give you experience in studying an operation and improving it. While marketing and behavior are part of the picture in operations and supply chains, the purpose of this course is to have you identify the quantitative and measurable elements, and apply techniques we learn to improve them, using what you learned here in the course and by your outside study.

WHEN DO WE START? WHAT IS THE TIMING?

You need to begin work on this project early in the semester since it is expected to be thorough, detailed, and performed as a cooperative effort with the workers and leaders in the supply chain you are studying.Primary research is required. You will probably need to visit facilities of the unit you are consulting for, and conduct in-depth analyses with their staff, probably using tools you learn in this class or that you learned in other classes. The project will run for most of the semester; the final report and presentation will be due in the last weeks of class.

HOW DO WE START?

You will be responsible for identifying the operation you will be working with early in the semester. You will submit a Project Proposal to the instructor on a given date in the syllabus/schedule, and get approval of your operation to be studied.

WHAT ARE THE TYPICAL STEPS IN OUR PROJECT?

  1. Choose an actual operation to study. It should contain an actual process to investigate, and you should be able to document it.
  2. Negotiate who your client is, and time required for organization.
  3. Document the process you are improving.
  4. Analyze various appropriate performance measures; for example, waiting lines, quality of output, scheduling, aggregate planning, inventory management, process design may be a few of the applicable tools.
  5. Pick a component of the process, and a measure to improve. Be able to defend your choice as a low-hanging-fruit.
  6. Examine alternatives:
  7. Propose the best alternative
  8. Defend your choice
  9. Write report
  10. Prepare presentation
  11. Give talk

WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DELIVER?

  1. You must prepare the Project Proposal early in the semester, outlining in a page or so what operation you plan to study, who your client will be, and a little bit about what sort of process improvement you plan to study, to the extent you know. The purpose is to get the instructor's assistance in deciding exactly what to study, what some of the pitfalls are, and how you might get started; and of course to get the instructor's approval.
  2. You will be expected to make a written status report in the course of the semester. The report is in the form of a memo which gives: Accomplishments; Issues and Problems; To Do. It should be professionally written, and will be shown to your client(s) in the operation you are studying (the primary audience), as well as the instructor. The date will be specified in the syllabus/schedule. Its purpose is to let the instructor and your client know what and how you are doing, and what you need to get on with.
  3. You will prepare a Project Presentation with Powerpoint (and other multimedia sources if you choose), which will be given near the end of the semester, to the class; and perhaps to your clients from the business unit, and to your executive if possible. The presentation should run 20 minutes and allow for discussion. This presentation will take place during the last week or so of class, or in finals week. Times will be allocated by a FIFO discipline.
  4. You will prepare a professionally written Project Report analyzing the problem, making clear strategy recommendations, and providing insight into your methods. This report will be delivered after your presentation, to your clients and firm executives as well as the instructor. The paper is 10 to 12 pages, not including exhibits and bibliography, professionally written in MS Word, and must contain at least one picture and one cartoon. You will include Excel spreadsheets, computer outputs, process charts, drawings, pictures, etc. as Exhibits at the end of the report. They do not count in your page count.
    The exact page count or length is not of concern. Feel free to write more (though it should be good concise business prose); it might be possible to do your project justice in less, but experience is that you need at least this many pages to explain everything about the project that is important.

HOW IS THE PROJECT GRADED?

Each product may receive a grade, and the weight of each part is given in the syllabus/schedule. The Project Report and Project Presentation are usually weighted in the ratio 2:1, and the Proposal gets a small weight. Each deliverable will be rated not only by the instructor but by the senior executives and client (unit) manager, if possible.

IS THERE A RUBRIC?

A rubric will be used to grade the Project Report and Project Presentation.

ARE WE ALL GRADED THE SAME?

If the team has divided up the work properly, all members should have contributed approximately the same amount. So almost always the answer is yes. You will be asked to submit a peer performance evaluation sheet at the end in which you weight the contribution of each team member. It is up to the team to resolve issues about equality of work division. This is part of learning to manage and participate in team work, which is so common in workplaces today.

CAN WE GET HELP?

Your instructor is always available to coach you or discuss with you what you are doing, how you might try to overcome obstacles, and how you might present or discuss what you are doing. You should take advantage of this free consulting early and often while you are doing the project. Feel free to make appointments; not all team members have to attend.