Operations management

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Muscat UniversityMarketing Research and Data Analysis

Faculty of Faculty of Business and Management

Operations management MBOPM-T3

Level: MSc students

MODULE ASSESSMENT: Lean Six Sigma Project

GROUP REFLECTIVE REPORT

Module leader: Dr Yousuf Al Khamisi

INTRODUCTION

The assessment of this module is a written reflective report. It covers 50% of the Operations management course for MSc students. Each Learning team is asked to identifiying a problem within an organisation of your choice and solve it using the Lean Six Sigma Methodology.

The organization could be part of the governmental sector or private sector

The selected organization might deliver a service or produce a product

Please select a problem that has a degree of complexity but not too much.

A template of the project report and analysis is attached.

The report should contain no more than 2000 words, with an additional maximum of 5 pages for any appendices and one-page executive summary, single-spaced, all margins 2.5 cm (1 in). Use 12-point font size. Font size within tables can be reduced to 10 font but make sure it is readable!

TIMING:

The reflective report should be submitted by 19th July 2023

OBJECTIVE OF THIS ASSIGNMENT

You will be preparing a report for the board, so this will need to be a professional presented report. For the organisation that you have chosen, you will start to DEFINE the selected problem using a project charter we have discussed. After that, you have to MEASURE and provide some data that will strength your case and enable you to ANALYSE the problem root causes. Thereafter, you might propose some solutions that will IMPROVE the targeted process. In order to sustain and CONTROL your improvement, you have to suggest some control charts to monitor the process. Through the DMAIC cycle, you will use some Lean tools that will enable you to fulfil the requirements of each phase. For example: using of SIPOC in the DEFINE phase and using of Value Stream Mapping in the ANLYSIS stage.

In general, you need to cover the DMAIC cycle in your report:

Define: Describe the project’s purpose and scope

Measure: Gather information on the current situation

Analyse: Identify deep causes and confirm them with data

Improve: Develop, test, and implement solutions that address deep causes

Control: Maintain the gains by consistently implementing the new work methods or processes

I would like you to “tell me the story” of solving the problem, making sure that the cycle elements are linked.

ASSESSMENT

The report will be assessed on the following criteria:

Use of models – applicability to the chosen operations/process for example, this might include:

Application of concepts, further reading? Competitive information?

Clarity of business/management research question/s and formulation of clear aims, objectives and scope.

Depth of analysis – as opposed to description: For example, this might include:

Evidence of understanding of links between the Five stages of DMAIC cycle and sensation of flow after each stage.

Reporting and appropriate presentation of the data generated.

Extent to which the recommendations and conclusions flow from the prior analysis:

Recommendations derived: Comprehensive

Synthesis: Development of a coherent argument

Critical analysis of the findings

Proposed solutions: generalizable, critical and/or original application of knowledge. Solutions should be tested and piloted.

Sustainability ways to monitor the improved process.

Quality of report

Presenting professionally and integrating the sections of the plan so that it makes a coherent and persuasive argument. Well-structured? Clear text? Good appendices? Well-integrated sections?

Coherent and concise writing? Appropriate and accurate referencing?

Effective and well-presented figures and tables? Grammar, spelling and appropriate vocabulary?

Muscat University General Qualitative Assessment Criteria

Mark Range & Standard

Criteria / Descriptor

(N.B. not all may apply for each piece of work or type of assessment)

80% – 100%

Excellent

Demonstrating a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the subject and subfields.

All stated intended learning outcomes exceeded.

High capacity for critical evaluation.

Novel application of the subject matter to a specific context.

Requiring a student to have:

Undertaken extensive further reading.

Produced a well-structured piece of work.

Demonstrated excellent communication skills.

Exercised a high level of original thought.

70% – 79%

Very Good

Demonstrating an extensive knowledge and understanding of the subject and subfields.

Many stated intended learning outcomes exceeded.

Very good capacity for critical evaluation.

Effective application of the subject matter to a specific context.

Requiring a student to have:

Undertaken substantial further reading.

Produced a well-structured piece of work.

Demonstrated very good communication skills.

Exercised a significant level of original thought.

60% – 69%

Good

Demonstrating a good knowledge and understanding of the subject and subfields.

All stated intended learning outcomes met, with some exceeded.

Good capacity for critical evaluation.

Competent application of the subject matter to a specific context.

Requiring a student to have:

Undertaken some further reading.

Produced a well-structured piece of work.

Demonstrated good communication skills.

50% – 59%

Satisfactory

Demonstrating a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the subject and subfields.

All stated intended learning outcomes met.

Standard critique of the subject matter.

Adequate application of the subject matter to a specific context.

Requiring a student to have:

Undertaken adequate further reading.

Produced an adequately-structured piece of work.

Demonstrated basic but satisfactory communication skills.

40% – 49%

Poor

Demonstrating an inadequate knowledge and understanding of the subject and subfields.

Most stated intended learning outcomes met.

Lacking critique of the subject matter.

Limited application of the subject matter to a specific context.

Requiring a student to have:

Undertaken some relevant reading.

Produced a piece of work with a simple structure.

Demonstrated marginal communication skills

0% – 39%

Very Poor

Demonstrating a lack of knowledge and understanding of the subject and subfields.

Many stated intended learning outcomes not met.

Absence of critique of the subject matter.

Lacking application of the subject matter to a specific context.

Requiring a student to have:

Undertaken inadequate reading.

Produced a poorly-structured piece of work.

Demonstrated poor communication skills.

TEMPLATE

MUSCAT UNIVERSITY

Faculty of Business and Management

[STUDENT NUMBER]

[Project title]

[Targeted company name]

Faculty of Business and Management

[Course Operations management MBOPM]

Academic year:

[Date]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (1 page approx – guidelines only)

Introduction

Very briefly introduce the company and the process you are targeting for improvement

Why the selected problem is a problem?

Make brief statement explaining why the targeted process is considered to be a problem for this company. Your answer must include figures and data as evidence.

Benefits of this project to the company

Provide a brief summary stating the benefits that will be gained by the company after completing the project using the following guide:

Short-term savings (hard)

Long-term savings (hard)

Short-term cost avoidance (soft)

Long-term cost avoidance (soft)

You have to make it clear how the selected benefits will be happening showing the calculation of your saving or cost avoidance.

Project’s team

You need to write the name and title of all process owners who have been involved in the process improvement via the DMAIC cycle journey. The team will include:

Sponsor, Champion, Coach, Financial Analyst and process owners.

define (400 words approx)

Goal: Define the project’s purpose and scope

Output: A clear statement of the intended improvement and how it is to be measured

Sample tools: Charter or SIPOC

Provide a screen shot of the filled tool you have used in Appendix 1

measure (400 words approx)

Goal: Gather information on the current situation

Output: A focused problem statement and baseline process sigma

Sample tools: Histogram or Pareto

Provide a screen shot of the filled tool you have used in Appendix 2

4. analyse (400 words approx)

Goal: Identify deep causes and confirm them with data

Output: A theory that has been tested and confirmed

Sample tools: Ishikawa diagram or process mapping

Provide a screen shot of the filled tool you have used in Appendix 3

improve (400 words approx)

Goal: Develop, test, and implement solutions that address deep causes

Output: Planned, tested actions that should eliminate identified root causes or reduce their impact

Sample tools: Solution matrix

Provide a screen shot of the filled tool you have used in Appendix 4

control (400 words approx)

Goal: Maintain the gains by consistently implementing the new work methods or processes

Output: Documentation of the new standardized method and Training in the new method

Sample Tools: Samples of standardization documentation, Poka Yoke, 5S or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Provide a screen shot of the filled tool you have used in Appendix 5

Appendices (maximum of 5 pages)

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