QSO 4-3 Assignment: Project Management Strategies Assignment

Overview

In this assignment, you will apply what you have learned about key concepts regarding operations management. You are encouraged to leverage your work and instructor feedback on this assignment in your course project, which is due in Module Seven.

Scenario

You work as the chief supply chain officer at NationaliTeas, a large international corporation that manufacturers and sells tea worldwide. Its mission is to “Make the world more awake through rejuvenating and refreshing beverages and sustainable practices that uplift workers, communities, and souls.” You have recently hired the company’s first project manager and have given them their first project: Revise current workflows related to packaging at one of your tea factories to be more sustainable and more lean. As this is their first project, you will be helping them complete their task.

Prompt

Read through the

Project Charter for Workflow Improvement Word Document

, then review the

Process Workflow for Tea Production Word Document

 graphic. A text-only version is available:

Process Workflow for Tea Production Text-Only Version Word Document

. Based on these documents, recommend removing a total of four steps from the process flowchart that can help make the process more efficient and sustainable. Explain the implications of the proposed changes, and then help the NationaliTeas team address current items in the Issue Log located in the project charter.

Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:

• Lean Manufacturing: Evaluate the process flowchart to identify steps that do not add value based on the principles of lean manufacturing. Explain why you selected each step.
• Sustainability: Evaluate the process flowchart and identify steps that should be removed or changed to improve environmental sustainability. Explain why you selected each step.
• Process Changes: Explain the implications, both positive and negative, of removing or changing the steps from the process flowchart you identified in the previous two bullet points. Also explain how those changes would help alignment to the triple bottom line (TBL).
• Issue Log: Analyze all entries in the Issue Log from the perspective of a project manager and explain the recommended course of action based on the project charter, noting the impact of the issue on scope, planning communications, and resourcing.
• Operations Management Techniques: Discuss how operations management techniques, including project management and lean manufacturing, can add value to NationaliTeas.

Guidelines for Submission

Submit this assignment as a 3

5

0- to 500-word Word document. Sources should be cited according to APA style.

Module Four Assignment Rubric

0%)

Lean Manufacturing

Sustainability Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner

Does not attempt criterion 20

Process Changes Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner

Does not attempt criterion 20

Issue Log Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner

Does not attempt criterion 20

Operations Management Techniques Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner

Does not attempt criterion 10

Articulation of Response Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner

5

Citations and Attributions

5

Criteria	Exemplary (	10	Proficient (85%)	Needs Improvement (55%)	Not Evident (0%)	Value
					Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Identifies steps in the process flowchart that do not add value based on the principles of lean manufacturing	Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include identifying more appropriate steps to remove or change based on lean manufacturing principles and product needs					Does not attempt criterion				20
Identifies steps from the process flowchart that should be removed or changed to improve environmental sustainability based	Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include identifying more appropriate steps to remove or change based on environmentally friendly practices such as reducing waste or conserving water or energy
Explains the implications, both positive and negative, of removing or changing the identified steps from the process flowchart and how they would help alignment to the TBL	Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include adding additional relevant details and examples to support the explanations or greater focus on alignment to the TBL
Explains the recommended course of action for each item listed in the Issue Log, noting the impact of the issue on scope, planning communications, and resourcing based on the identified changes to the process flowchart and the project charter	Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include applying project management concepts to justify the next steps a project manager should take when facing the issues in the Issue Log
Discusses how operations management techniques, including project management and lean manufacturing, can add value to the organization	Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include adding further examples or explanations that support how operational management techniques can support the organization
Clearly conveys meaning with correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, demonstrating an understanding of audience and purpose	Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, negatively impacting readability	Submission has critical errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, preventing understanding of ideas
Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with few or no minor errors	Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with consistent minor errors	Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with major errors	Does not use citations for ideas requiring attribution
Total:	100%

ProjectCharter for Workflow Process Improvement

Elimination of Waste and Improved Sustainability in Workflow

Contents

Executive Summary

Scope Statement

Business Objectives

Project Details

Requirements

Deliverables

Estimated Schedule

Estimated Budget

Risks

Completion Criteria

Define Project Success

Alternatives

Stakeholders

Project Manager

Project Authorization

Issue Log

Executive Summary

As the company plans to apply for B Corp Certification within the next five years, is important to analyze our production workflow processes to look for reductions in waste and improve sustainability metrics.

Scope Statement

The purpose of this project is to analyze and look for improvements in our tea production workflow process. We primarily want to analyze the workflow processes from a lean manufacturing perspective to look for waste and to focus our processes on improving quality for the end user. We also want to analyze the workflow processes from a sustainability perspective and consider how we can make our production workflow processes friendlier to the planet as a whole.

Business Objectives

Analyze workflow processes for improvements to increase the company’s overall sustainability metrics

Analyze workflow processes for ways to reduce waste or unnecessary steps that don’t add value to our product’s end users

Analyze workflow processes to improve chances the organization is approved as a Certified B Corporation

Project Details

Requirements

Simplify the tea production workflow using lean manufacturing principles to increase efficiency

Reduce use processes and materials that are not environmentally friendly

Make process and material changes that cannot increase manufacturing costs

Deliverables

Updated process flowchart

Cost-benefit analysis of changes

Summary of changes that specifically note sustainability measures used

Estimated Schedule

The project should be completed within two months of project kickoff.

Project Milestones or Phases

Estimated Completion Date

Project Kickoff

Day 1

Analysis of Current Workflow Process

Day 21

Completion of Research Around Potential Changes

Day 42

Final Recommendations

Day 53

End of Project

A week after the final set of recommendations is created

Estimated Budget

This project has a limited budget of $30,000. Funds are allocated for travel, research, and the hiring of a third-party contractors to support the analysis.

Risks

Removal of critical processes could lead to overall production errors or bottlenecks.

Removal of processes could lead to less safe working environments for employees.

Removal of processes could lead to a lower quality end product and then lower sales and damage to the company brand.

Completion Criteria

The project is considered complete when a new, streamlined workflow process has been recommended based on analysis and research and has met requirements.

Define Project Success

The workflow production process limits waste as much as possible and is as sustainable as possible, or will improve processes by reducing waste and improving sustainability. Improved sustainability will be viewed from the perspective of the application to be a Certified B Corporation.

Alternatives

The main alternatives to the project are not to review or change internal workflow processes or to use a different operations process or philosophy that differs from lean manufacturing, such as total quality management or Six Sigma.

Stakeholders

List all known project stakeholders.

Name

Project Role

Organization

Chief Operations Officer

Project Sponsor

NationaliTeas Corporate Office

Director of Production

Project Team

NationaliTeas Manufacturing Division

Director of Quality Control

Project Team

NationaliTeas Manufacturing Division

Project Manager

Jennifer Smith

Project Authorization

By initialing each page and signing below, the chief operations officer and the project sponsor approve the project described herein and authorize it to begin.

Issue Log

Issues that come up after the charter has been approved should be added below and reviewed for impact on cost, scope, and alignment to the original project requirements. Each issue should be addressed, either through a short explanation of why it does not need to be acted on or an explanation of how it will be resolved.

There is general confusion among stakeholders regarding their level of decision-making power, involvement, and scheduling of major project milestones.

A stakeholder has recommended a change from the existing product packaging to a shiny foil packaging for aesthetic reasons, and they have asked for this be built into the process workflow documents.

The procurement department wants to triple the project budget to allocate more funds to researching, testing, and finding a new supplier for compostable packaging materials.

Project Charter for Workflow Process Improvement Page 1

Process for TeaWorkflow Production
Picking, Processing, and Packaging TPicking, Processing, and Packaging Teaea

FARM
Start

Workers pick
tea leaves

Leaves are put
into 50 kg bags

Bags are
moved to a

processing area

PROCESSING
Bags of tea are

reweighed

Leaves are spread
across pans and

troughs

Leaves are
withered on pans

Leaves
are cooled

Leaves are removed
from pans and

reweighed

Leaves are moved
onto special trays

and rolled

Leaves go
through a first

drying

Leaves are
cooled

Leaves are put
into new trays for
a second drying

Leaves are removed from trays
and reweighed; poor-quality

leaves are thrown away

Leaves are visually
inspected

Poor-quality leaves
are thrown away

Leaves are
moved to an

oxidizing area

Leaves are
oxidized

Leaves get a final
drying to

complete the
oxidation process

Leaves are
cooled

Leaves are sent to
packaging and

shipping

PACKAGING
AND SHIPPING

Leaves are
weighed

Leaves are sorted;
small, misshaped, or
discolored tea leaves

are discarded

Leaves are
weighed

Leaves get a
second sorting

Leaves are put
into paper tea

bags and sealed

Tea bags are
wrapped in

paper packets

Tea bags are
sealed

Wrapped tea bags are
sorted into cardboard

packs of 20

Cardboard packs
are sealed and

wrapped in plastic

Boxes are sorted
into shipping

boxes

Shipping boxes are
wrapped and sealed,
ready to be shipped

End

• Process Workflow for Tea Production

FARM
Start
PROCESSING
PACKAGING AND SHIPPING
End