- This assignment is designed to enable you analyse a business problem and then apply what you have learned from studying Lean management to solving that problem.
In Assignmnet 1 we looked at how to deconstruct a Process. In this assignment investigate the Value Stream. Lean management practitioners believe understanding the Value Stream is essential to understanding what the customers see as important within the process, service, product we supply to them.
Lean management has a lot to offer all organisations.
The Literature Review in this assignment asks you to look at the current thinking in this subject area.
The importance of defining a problem in a quantitative manner should not be under estimated. It is important that facts decide actions in the Operations domain. The latter part of this assignment challenges you to quantify the situation you are looking to improve. Your data need not be highly accurate. It is more the structure and the logic of your use of numbers we will be interested in.
Within a report format answer the following questions:
1. From the level of your Enterprise describe in outline format a Value Stream Map for one major Customer.
(20% word count)
2. Prepare a review of the literature on Lean Management. Describe the concepts, applications and frameworks available in general business, and appropriate for an organisation similar to the type you have chosen.
Discuss the authors, their views on the subject and their frameworks.
Describe the operational benefits would you expect to see from introducing the concepts within Lean Management into your chosen organisation.
Describe the ways you feel the Topic might develop during the coming 5 years.
Use at least 8 journal articles no older than 10 years.
(50% word count)
3. For the organization chosen, explain how you would apply Lean Management concepts to the process, or processes, to improve the Value Stream. Look for a process that has sub-standard performance and describe how applying one or more of the Lean management concepts could improve the process. You might use the processes described in assignment 1. (20% word count)
4. Business decisions based upon quantified evidence rather emotion and ego are important. For the change you are proposing here support your discussion with information. The numbers may be factual or made up.
For the problem you are looking at: identify the evidence that shows the problem exists; what is the potential loss to the company if the problem persists; the opportunity for income improvement if put right; the Cost Benefit Analysis.
