Process Improvement Methodologies Mode

MAN 4584 – Process Improvement Methodologies

Assignment Series Project

Week 2 - Assignment 1

This week students need to select a process improvement project to work on during this course. There are four

parts to this mini-project that students will do throughout this course (read all four parts due Week 2, 4, 6, and 8

before continuing with this assignment to understand how this breaks down in the coming weeks, in the Course

Materials there is a file with all 4 parts to easily print, link). Students may select something at work (i.e. a

process or quality issue that can be pursued to help grow your career) or it may be something that will simply

make your life easier at home (i.e. getting ready in the morning/evening for work, cooking a meal, etc.).

1. Select One Process to Map - Do not pick a huge project as we have a limited amount of time in this class. Do not pick a process that you have no control over as you will be required to implement at least one

improvement or change to the process during this course. If your become overwhelmed in this part of the

project with defining the process you select, you should consider reducing the scope to a smaller project.

This course requires students to learn and apply the methodologies in the lessons to define, analyze, and

improve the process they select. So be sure that you have the fundamental knowledge needed on the

process selected so you can focus on evaluating how to apply the lessons and methodologies as required to

the project.

2. Assign Ownership and Roles - While this is an individual project, you will need to get family, co-workers, or other stakeholders in the process involved to support you with completing these assignments. Make sure

everyone knows and approves of what you are going to do for your improvement project and when you will

need to finish the various parts of this project. Make sure they understand that there are specific steps you

have to follow to meet your course requirements on this project and that you will also need their support to

provide you with input in order to complete the assignments.

3. Analyze Process Boundaries – Identify where the selected process starts and stops, as well as other processes that interface with this process. Make sure you clearly understand your process boundaries or

limitations for this improvement project.

4. Map Process - Select any of the mapping tools covered in your textbook, supplemental articles, or lecture in the Week 2 lesson. This map of your selected process should be detailed enough that others could follow

your process and have the same result or output as you.

a. Identify the outputs and customers for the process.

b. Identify inputs and suppliers for the process.

c. Map the tasks and decisions needed to transform the inputs into the outputs for the process.

d. Define customer expectations for performance for this process (translate these goals and objectives into measureable metrics for the process). Include what the current metrics or measures of performance are

operating at for this process. Students must have at least 3 metrics or measures for their process.

5. Verify Accuracy - Walk through the process definition, map, and metrics with other process owners or stakeholders relative to your selected process. Explain how this process was verified and updated from their

feedback.

6. Identify Lessons Learned - Include challenges and experiences while doing this assignment. Generalize what you learned for use in later process improvement projects.

Submit Assignment 1 on Sunday at end of Week 2 by 11:55 PM (EST). This submission should be in APA

format with all references cited appropriately (please see example paper (link), further examples are in the

lesson action items). Some frequently asked questions (link) and grading rubrics (link) for this assignment are

included in the Course Materials.

Week 3 and 4 - Assignment 2

This week students need to take the process improvement project defined in Week 2 and analyze that process

for waste or non-value added activities.

1. Waste Audit – Review the online lecture and pg. 12-15 in The Lean Pocket Handbook for Kaizen Events. After completing this with textbook and supplemental article readings, you should have sufficient

knowledge to critically identify wastes in your defined process. Challenge your current thinking about the

process when analyzing potential issues (see waste you never quite saw before, target 3 per category).

2. Analyze a Waste - Select any of the process analysis tools covered in your textbook, supplemental articles, or lecture in the Week 4 lesson to further evaluate the process for a critical waste or issues

discovered in the audit.

3. Review Audit – Review the results of this assignment with other process owners or stakeholders as identified in Assignment 1. Get their feedback and input into your Waste Audit and Analysis (update step 1

and 2 above from this input). Explain how this review was completed.

4. Identify Lessons Learned - Include challenges and experiences faced in doing this assignment. Generalize what you learned for use in later process improvement projects.

Submit Assignment 2 on Sunday at end of Week 4 by 11:55 PM (EST). This submission should use the

following template (it includes a waste audit table and room to add the other steps, link). Some frequently asked

questions (link) and grading rubrics (link) for this assignment are included in the Course Materials.

Week 5 and 6 - Assignment 3

Students should NOT procrastinate on this part of the project as students need to plan a mini-kaizen event for

the process documented in Week 2 (Assignment 1) based upon their analysis in Week 4 (Assignment 2).

1. Improvement Project (Kaizen Event) – This kaizen event or improvement project does not need to address all issues found in Assignment 2, but students are expected to coordinate and implement at least one

kaizen or improvement to this process to tackle some of issues analyzed in Assignment 2. Follow this

template to document this mini-kaizen event (link). This template includes some example entries to help

students understand how to use it, as well as state a kaizen objective, ideal conditions, brainstorming

potential actions (apply the lessons to this project), and prepare an implementation plan for this mini-kaizen

event. Students should follow the steps on this template and edit the entries to support their own

improvement project using this template (the action items from the course lessons provide further

information to support this assignment).

 Students will develop a master improvement plan in Assignment 4 for additional improvements (beyond the scope of this class). While brainstorming improvement alternatives now some options may not fit

this time period, but be good considerations for Assignment 4.

2. Review Impact – Students need to plan enough time to complete this kaizen event or improvement project in order to have time to measure the impact the improvement(s) had on the 3 process measures defined in

Assignment 1. These 3 future metrics or measures should clearly show the impact these changes or

improvements had on the performance of this process. Students need to structure 3 impact statements

supporting these measures (see example on the template).

3. Identify Lessons Learned - Include challenges and experiences while doing this assignment. Generalize

what you learned for use in later process improvement projects.

Submit Assignment 3 on Sunday at end of Week 6 by 11:55 PM (EST). This submission should use the

template provided (if students need to change the format to fit the organization, you are free to use a different

format as long as similar steps as on the template are included). Some frequently asked questions (link) and

grading rubrics (link) for this assignment are included in the Course Materials.

Week 7 and 8 - Assignment 4

This week students need to develop a master improvement plan and review plan for the process defined in

Week 2, analyzed in Week 4, and incrementally improved in Week 6.

1. Master Improvement Plan – **Review the Week 7 online lecture example** and develop a master kaizen

or improvement plan for your process using the template provided (link). The Week 7 online lecture will

help you understand how to complete and use this tool for your improvement project. Focus on longer term

milestones and tasks (beyond this class) needed to support the original goals and objectives you defined in

Week 2. Additionally base your future milestones and tasks upon the various improvement tools examined

in the Week 5 and 6 lessons that are used to eliminate waste as analyzed in Week 4.

2. Review Plan - Students had to coordinate and implement one kaizen or improvement project in Week 6 for

this process. This review plan template is on the same file as the master improvement plan. The Week 7

online lecture will help you understand how to complete and use this tool for your improvement project.

Students should review the improvements completed in Week 6 and plan further review plan needs (beyond

this class).

3. Persuasive Speech – Students need to record a persuasive speech using the SPOC Video Drop Box Tool

(located under these instructions in the Week 8 lesson, maximum of 10 minutes, blended students may do

this at the Week 8 class meeting). Students should roll play that they are presenting their Master

Improvement Plan and Review Plan to their process owners or stakeholder asking for their future support

for these recommendations. Students need to apply their public speaking skills and clearly demonstrate to

this audience why they should support these further plans.

4. Identify Lessons Learned - Include challenges and experiences while doing this assignment. Generalize

what you learned for use in later process improvement projects. This template includes a box to enter this

step at the bottom of each plan (tailor for each criterion).

Submit Assignment 4 on Tuesday of Week 8 by 11:55 PM (EST). This submission should use the template

provided (there are two separate spreadsheets on the same file for criteria 1 and 2). Students may change the

format to fit their project or employer needs, as long as similar steps as on the template are included. Some

frequently asked questions (link) and grading rubrics (link) for this assignment are included in the Course

Materials.