Due by 6pm 8/14/13

Assume that you have recently been hired as the director of continuous improvement of a company. You are an outside hire with limited history of the firm and personal capital at the firm, and you are responsible for lean production, total quality management (TQM), six sigma, and best practice implementation.

Lean production means doing more with less, such as less inventory, fewer workers, or less space. A recent trade in quality management is lean six sigma (also known as lean sigma) that integrates six sigma and lean production.

The capacity for which you were hired has existed for three years with a direct line of report to the vice-president of operations and dotted line of report to the head of information technology (IT), the chief information officer (CIO), and the director of internal controls and audit. You are the second person to fill in this position. You have a team of internal consultants; half of your team has six sigma black belt or equivalent capabilities with the remainder having a solid understanding of operations and IT. You also have a budget for two external vendor resources.

You have taken six months to familiarize yourself with the organization and its people, mission, goals, strategy, and structure. In this time, you have also evaluated current operations. At the end of this period, you are assigned to deliver a report identifying the three most promising avenues for achieving best practices within the company. You have already been told that the company suffers from both aging and complex information systems and that your recommendation must include a major upgrade of those systems. The executive officers anticipate major investments in IT over the next several years. Your best practice implementations, coupled with new technology, must be measurable in terms of speed, quality, productivity, and efficiency or other key performance indicators that you identify in your report.

LASA 2 Grading Criteria

Proficiency

Maximum Points

Content Knowledge: Understanding

Communicates understanding of assignment by synthesizing data to explain a strategic overview ofyour company, its services, and all other required data.

Response incorporates analysis and synthesis of central concepts of the assigned topic.

Response reflects understanding of the nature of the specific topic within the discipline and its applications in contemporary times.

Response provides necessary details and specific examples.

48

Content Knowledge: Application Component 1

Communicates the ability to analyze the supply chain for your identified company by explaining all the following required key elements of the supply chain.

Response demonstrates a working command of the disciplinary content knowledge.

Response examines the specific issue within the context of the topic area using relevant details and examples.

Response analyzes the specific aspect of the issue to applicable areas within the discipline and their relevance to real-world contexts.

Response is adequately supported by current and relevant literature.

56

Content Knowledge: Application Component 2

Communicates the ability to synthesize data to create a plan for improving the performance of three specific operating processes in your company (including answers to all required elements).

Response demonstrates a working command of the disciplinary content knowledge.

Response examines the specific issue within the context of the topic area using relevant details and examples.

Response analyzes the specific aspect of the issue to applicable areas within the discipline and their relevance to real-world contexts.

Response is adequately supported by current and relevant literature.

56

Content Knowledge: Application Component 3

Communicates the ability to synthesize data to explain results of performance improvements regarding the product/service (including answers to all required elements).

Response demonstrates a working command of the disciplinary content knowledge.

Response examines the specific issue within the context of the topic area using relevant details and examples.

Response analyzes the specific aspect of the issue to applicable areas within the discipline and their relevance to real-world contexts.

Response is adequately supported by current and relevant literature

56

Content Knowledge: Application Component 4

Communicates the ability to configure data to explain how your plan impacts your company’s HR and human capital strategy and how the organizational structure supports the new process configuration you are recommending. Explains any changes to the compensation/ incentives for your company that is necessary to reinforce your recommendations.

Response demonstrates a working command of the disciplinary content knowledge.

Response examines the specific issue within the context of the topic area using relevant details and examples.

Response analyzes the specific aspect of the issue to applicable areas within the discipline and their relevance to real-world contexts.

Response is adequately supported by current and relevant literature.

56

Written Communication/
Personal Effectiveness

Conveys through written word understanding and application of an understanding and application by delivery of a report identifying the three most promising avenues for achieving best practices within the company.

Writing is concise and clear in content, language use, grammar, organization, and sentence structure.

Writing is free of major grammatical and usage errors.

16

Oral Communication/
Personal Effectiveness

Conveys through oral communication, such as a PowerPoint presentation, an understanding and application delivery of a report identifying the three most promising avenues for achieving best practices within the company.

Presentation is concise with a logical flow of thought.

Content includes clearly articulated key points that are free of major errors.

Presentation is visually appealing and addresses audience considerations adequately.

12

300