Background
Your leadership appeared impressed with the role of an operations manager. They have always suspected of knowing what an operations manager is responsible for; however, your background paper provided the insight they needed to make a decision. There was a purpose to each departmental visit, and that was to identify which department was the most deserving of innovative funds. You later realize the funds are also used to pay for the extra time dedicated to research and any solution that makes sense (i.e., results in significant ROI, improves efficiency, improves quality, increases profit).
Instructions
The key to this assignment is to ensure that the problem being addressed is an operational issue and not strategic or so large in scale that it would take years to address. Operations Management (OM) deals with the day-to-day processes of running efficiently, so focus on something that can have measurable results on a short-term basis. Using your organization, critically think about an OM problem that could improve.
This is a rough draft. The takeaway is to formulate a problem statement that you can use to write your paper, which is essentially a research question. You are composing a research question that drives an explanation for the necessary change that drives improvement. The question should start with “What can be done…”?. Avoid using questions that begin with “How will” or “Will.” These types of questions merely provide part of an explanation for a solution or a Yes or No answer. A proper solution digs deep into the root cause and is justified with evidence-based, actionable plans to incorporate change. Note: the instructor expects a rough draft, not a finished product.
List some issues and metrics that pertain to potential problems in your organization. Explain your organization’s transformation process by providing the inputs, transformation, and outputs (see the transformation process diagram, page XXX). Note any concerns in the transformation process and devise a few (3-5) topical questions to get you thinking about the term paper. Try to note metrics that can be used and measured between the as-is and to-be conditions. These metrics are how you will determine success. Note that metrics can pertain to financial and non-financial measures. Submit your 3-5 slide presentation rough draft by the end of module 1.
You are expected to provide the following information:
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Describe the organization
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Introduce the as-is operations condition
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Construct 3-5 problem statements
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Draft a research question: What can be done….?
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Provide any notable metrics that you could use to measure performance.
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Reference list (note: Consider concepts and theories discussed in the text, grey literature (i.e., company metrics), and other peer-reviewed sources).
Length: 5-7 slide PowerPoint presentation, not including the title or reference page
References: 3-5 citations
This is a rough draft. The takeaway is formulating a problem statement that you can
use to write your paper, which is essentially a research question. You are learning how
to compose a problem statement, so the instructor is expecting a rough draft and not a
finished product. List some issues and metrics that pertain to potential problems in the
format of the transformation process diagram discussed in the textbook. Note any
concerns in the transformation process and devise a few (3-5) topical questions that
will get you thinking about the term paper. Try and note metrics that can be used and
measured between the as-is condition and the to-be condition. These metrics are how
you will determine success. Note that metrics can pertain to financial and nonfinancial measures