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QSO 520 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview The final project for this course is the creation of an executive brief. The final product represents an authentic demonstration of competency in utilizing data and management science techniques to provide recommendations for the managerial decision-making process. Management science techniques allow for data- driven decision making that assist an organization in making sound business decisions based on facts rather than instincts or emotion. This equips management with the tools necessary to guide the business toward growth and success while ensuring stakeholder satisfaction. Additionally, it allows organizations to become more efficient and to quickly respond to changes in the economic landscape and market. In this assessment, you will be tasked with understanding the complexities and intricacies of a global organization that is facing numerous business challenges. Based on the information and data presented, you will craft an executive brief stating your findings and recommended solutions to the stakeholders. You will use the Rougir Cosmetics International: Production Optimization case study to respond to the prompt. The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three, Five, and Seven. The final product will be submitted in Module Nine. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

 QSO-520-01: Evaluate factors associated with organizational challenges for prioritizing decision-making strategies

 QSO-520-02: Utilize effective decision-making processes for addressing specific organizational challenges

 QSO-520-03: Analyze appropriate data for supporting effective organizational decision making

 QSO-520-04: Recommend approaches to addressing organizational challenges based on data for obtaining support of intended stakeholders

Prompt Specifically, you must address the critical elements listed below. Most of the critical elements align with a particular course outcome (shown in brackets).

I. Problem Statement: To begin, you will first review a scenario about an organization that is experiencing challenges. After reading the scenario, you will then need to determine what these challenges are, consider how they should be prioritized, and devise a problem statement.

A. Compose a summary of the external problems impacting the organization, namely, what challenges are being presented by the problems. [QSO- 520-01]

B. Describe the internal organizational challenges identified by the stakeholders. In your response, be sure to take into consideration the vendor and supplier issues. [QSO-520-01]

C. Evaluate the goals of management in order to facilitate resolutions to the organizational challenges. [QSO-520-01]

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D. Create a SWOT analysis in order to connect the organization’s goals and strategies to approaches management and employees may take to resolve the issues impacting it. [QSO-520-02]

E. Based on an evaluation of information provided in the scenario, write a problem statement that will need to be solved. [QSO-520-01]

II. Data Analysis: You will now calculate and analyze data based on information provided in the scenario to inform and support the decisions necessary to resolve the organizational challenges. Your analysis will explore the production schedule and vendor optimization by running a linear programming model and sensitivity analysis. You will submit this section using the provided Excel template spreadsheet to show your programming.

A. Calculate the labor stages and material requirements for each product. [QSO-520-03] B. Based on the results of your calculation, develop a summary table for linear programming analysis. [QSO-520-03] C. Next, calculate the production schedule, determining what will be produced, the quantity, and when the output will be produced. [QSO-520-03] D. Conduct a sensitivity analysis on the cost of the products using a decision tree. [QSO-520-02] E. Generate labeled bar graphs to demonstrate changes, if any, in product cost. [QSO-520-03]

III. Recommendations and Future Outcomes: Next, you will be required to make formal recommendations in order to address the organizational

challenges, supporting your strategies with applicable and relevant data. You will also need to communicate your recommendations and findings to the appropriate stakeholders. Finally, you will need to consider the organization’s future outcomes based on a forecasting analysis.

A. Produce a forecasting analysis in order to determine the demand of the product line. [QSO-520-02] B. Based on your problem statement and analysis of the data, recommend effective strategies that will resolve each of the organization’s

challenges cited earlier. [QSO-520-04]

IV. Executive Summary: In order to present your findings and recommendations in a consumable fashion to the appropriate stakeholders, you will need to compose an executive summary.

A. Write a summary of your findings for the organization’s management, providing your recommendations, using appropriate language for your target audience. [QSO-520-04]

B. Finally, defend your recommended strategies in order to influence agreement among the stakeholders. [QSO-520-04]

Milestones Milestone One: Draft of Problem Statement In Module Three, you will submit a draft of the problem statement. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric. Milestone Two: Draft of Data Analysis In Module Five, you will submit a draft of the data analysis section. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.

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Milestone Three: Draft of Recommendations and Future Outcomes In Module Seven, you will submit a draft of your recommendations and future outcomes section. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric. Final Submission: Executive Brief In Module Nine, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.

Deliverables Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading

One Draft of Problem Statement Three Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric

Two Draft of Data Analysis Five Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric

Three Draft of Recommendations and Future Outcomes

Seven Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric

Final Submission: Executive Brief Nine Graded separately; Final Project Rubric

Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your executive brief must be 10–12 pages in length and must be written in APA format. (You will also submit a separate Excel template with your calculations for the data analysis section.) Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Include at least three scholarly references cited in APA format.

Critical Elements Exemplary Proficient Needs Improvement Not Evident Value

Problem Statement: External

[QSO-520-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and response is exceptionally clear and contextualized (100%)

Composes a summary of the external problems impacting the organization (90%)

Composes a summary of the external problems impacting the organization, but summary contains inaccuracies or lacks sufficient detail (70%)

Does not compose a summary of the external problems impacting the organization (0%)

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Critical Elements Exemplary Proficient Needs Improvement Not Evident Value

Problem Statement: Internal

[QSO-520-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and description is exceptionally clear and contextualized (100%)

Describes the internal organizational challenges identified by the stakeholders (90%)

Describes the internal organizational challenges identified by the stakeholders, but description is cursory, contains inaccuracies, or fails to take into consideration the vendor and supplier issues (70%)

Does not describe the internal organizational challenges identified by the stakeholders (0%)

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Problem Statement: Goals

[QSO-520-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and evaluation of goals demonstrates a complex grasp of the goals needed to resolve the organizational challenges (100%)

Evaluates the goals of management in order to facilitate resolutions to the organizational challenges (90%)

Evaluates the goals of management, but response lacks clarity or goals do not address the organizational challenges (70%)

Does not evaluate the goals of management (0%)

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Problem Statement: SWOT Analysis [QSO-520-02]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a sophisticated application of the analysis (100%)

Creates a SWOT analysis in order to connect the organization’s goals and strategies (90%)

Creates a SWOT analysis in order to connect the organization’s goals and strategies, but response is missing key information or contains inaccuracies, or connections between goals and strategies are insufficient (70%)

Does not create a SWOT analysis (0%)

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Problem Statement: Problem Statement

[QSO-520-01]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and response demonstrates an advanced ability to distill key details from a scenario to develop a problem statement (100%)

Writes a problem statement that encompasses the key issues that need to be solved by the organization, based on the evaluation of information provided (90%)

Writes a problem statement, but the statement is missing key elements or is not adequately based on evaluation of information provided (70%)

Does not write a problem statement (0%)

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Data Analysis: Labor Stages and Material

Requirements [QSO-520-03]

Calculates the labor stages and material requirements for each product (100%)

Calculates the labor stages and material requirements for each product, but calculation contains inaccuracies (70%)

Does not calculate the labor stages and material requirements for each product (0%)

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Data Analysis: Summary Table

[QSO-520-03]

Develops a summary table for linear programming analysis (100%)

Develops a summary table for linear programming analysis, but table contains inaccuracies (70%)

Does not develop a summary table for linear programming analysis (0%)

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Critical Elements Exemplary Proficient Needs Improvement Not Evident Value

Data Analysis: Production Schedule

[QSO-520-03]

Calculates the production schedule that determines what will be produced, the quantity, and when the output will be produced (100%)

Calculates the production schedule, but calculation contains inaccuracies (70%)

Does not calculate the production schedule (0%)

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Data Analysis: Decision Tree [QSO-520-02]

Conducts a sensitivity analysis on the cost of the products using a decision tree (100%)

Conducts a sensitivity analysis on the cost of the products using a decision tree but response contains inaccuracies (70%)

Does not conduct a sensitivity analysis on the cost of the products using a decision tree (0%)

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Data Analysis: Labeled Bar Graphs

[QSO-520-03]

Generates labeled bar graphs to demonstrate changes in product cost (100%)

Generates labeled bar graphs to demonstrate changes in product cost, but graphs contains inaccuracies (70%)

Does not generate labeled bar graphs (0%)

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Recommendations and Future Outcomes:

Forecasting Analysis [QSO-520-02]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of forecasting variables that will determine future demand of the product line (100%)

Produces a forecasting analysis in order to determine the demand of the product line (90%)

Produces a forecasting analysis, but analysis is missing key information or contains inaccuracies (70%)

Does not produce a forecasting analysis (0%)

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Recommendations and Future Outcomes: Strategies

[QSO-520-04]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and recommendation demonstrates a complex grasp of the appropriate strategies that will resolve the organization’s challenges (100%)

Recommends effective strategies that will resolve each of the organization’s challenges (90%)

Recommends effective strategies that will resolve the organization’s challenges, but recommendation is missing key details or contains inaccuracies (70%)

Does not recommend effective strategies that will resolve the organization’s challenges (0%)

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Executive Summary: Summary

[QSO-520-04]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and summary demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the findings from the analysis (100%)

Summarizes findings for the organization’s management, providing recommendations, and utilizes appropriate language for target audience (90%)

Summarizes findings for the organization’s management, but summary is cursory, illogical, lacks detail, or does not effectively use appropriate language throughout (70%)

Does not summarize findings for the organization’s management (0%)

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Critical Elements Exemplary Proficient Needs Improvement Not Evident Value

Executive Summary: Defense

[QSO-520-04]

Meets “Proficient” criteria and defense makes cogent connections between the findings and recommendations (100%)

Defends recommended strategies in order to influence agreement among the stakeholders (90%)

Defends recommended strategies, but defense is weak or is missing key information (70%)

Does not defend recommended strategies (0%)

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Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy to read format (100%)

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization (90%)

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas (70%)

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas (0%)

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Total 100%