MGMT 652 Lean Six Sigma

The course will examine Six Sigma methodology, including process improvement, decreasing defects, waste identification, variables, process performance and roles of team members.

While it appears there are Lean and Six Sigma Certificate coursework and workshops offered online, a cognate within a program at the master’s and doctoral levels are difficult to find. There is a demand for a degree program that adds value to the Lean and Six Sigma knowledge needed to be successful in business.

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After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 5 Discussions in response to the provided topics. For each discussion, the student will post 1 thread of at least 300 words. The student must then reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 300 words. For each thread and reply, the student must support his/her assertions with at least 3 scholarly citations in current APA format, to include if the student is citing the author of the post. Any sources cited must have been published within the last 5 years. Acceptable sources include the textbooks, current and related articles, the Bible, etc. (biblical integration is not required in the discussions, but it is welcome).

Every organization wants to be effective, but how does it get there? Process improvement is at the heart of effectiveness and can be accomplished through Lean and Six Sigma tools. Process improvement can benefit a variety of other key business functions such as leadership, strategy, and customer focus. The assigned material describes some of the most basic functions of process improvement useful for nearly every leader. It is important to develop a basic understanding of the origins of Lean and Six Sigma, how they work together, and how the student can apply them in unison in a variety of business functions. The student will write a 1,500–2,000-word paper, in current APA format, that focuses on the topics provided in the assignment instructions document. In addition to the course textbook(s) and the Bible, this paper must include at least 5 references from scholarly articles that have publication dates no older than 5 years. There should be at least one instance of biblical integration (at least one scriptural reference).

As measures are indicators of performance, it is crucial to not only clearly understand where one’s organization is at (i.e., how processes are actually performing), but also where one needs to go (gap analysis). For every thing there is a measure. Processes are particularly tricky because of the variables involved in most processes. Accurately assessing process performance is a critical part of effective decision-making, to optimize overall business results by balancing costs, quality, features, and availability considerations for products and their production. The student will write a 1,500–2,000-word paper, in current APA format, that focuses on the topics provided in the assignment instructions document. In addition to the course textbook(s) and the Bible, this paper must include at least 5 references from scholarly articles that have publication dates no older than 5 years. There should be at least one instance of biblical integration (at least one scriptural reference).

Lean Six Sigma is an integral part of basic business problem solving. Some researchers claim, in the process of determining the root cause of such problems, LSS methods are paramount and the only way to reach desired Six Sigma levels of performance, by eliminating problems at their source. The Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) approach is riddled with techniques and tools championed by such seminal research as performed by Drs. Deming, Shewhart, and Ishikawa. One would be wise to study and synthesize these techniques for use in one’s organization. While it is critical to understand and be able to describe and employ each step of the DMAIC approach, one also must be able to apply the appropriate tool to the various problems. The student will write a 1,500–2,000-word paper, in current APA format, that focuses on the topics provided in the assignment instructions document. In addition to the course textbook(s) and the Bible, this paper must include at least 5 references from scholarly articles that have publication dates no older than 5 years. There should be at least one instance of biblical integration (at least one scriptural reference).

Once a process is mapped, the manager has a plethora of lean tools to identify waste, improve quality, and increase efficiency. There are volumes written on Lean Tools and their unique or common applications. While some of these tools originated in the United States, many were developed in Japan, hence the unique root words/titles. While the 5S’s are about creating orderliness in a work area, Kaizen events are highly focused and short activities or projects that improve actions in a work area. Further, error-proofing is used to counteract human errors or variation (free from possible errors). Work optimization occurs when the practitioner is introduced to Takt time, batched and standardized work, and visual management—all powerful tools in a manager’s LSS kit. The student will write a 1,500–2,000-word paper, in current APA format, that focuses on the topics provided in the assignment instructions document. In addition to the course textbook(s) and the Bible, this paper must include at least 5 references from scholarly articles that have publication dates no older than 5 years. There should be at least one instance of biblical integration (at least one scriptural reference).

As complex and potential extremely long tails, supply chains can appear outside an organization’s control. By simple definition, a supply chain is every movement of materials—raw to finished product or service—and is a critical part of the value stream mapping exercise. Moreover, supply chains play a strategic role because of their far-reaching effects. Supply chain management is composed of five components: inventory management, information sharing, e-commerce, logistics, and purchasing. When comprehensively synchronized, a supply chain can be extremely effective, but conforming or not conforming to a variety of standards can cause supply chain disruption and affect performance capabilities. Effective business leaders keep a close eye on their organizations’ supply chain metrics as part of their ongoing process improvement. The student will write a 1,500–2,000-word paper, in current APA format, that focuses on the topics provided in the assignment instructions document. In addition to the course textbook(s) and the Bible, this paper must include at least 5 references from scholarly articles that have publication dates no older than 5 years. There should be at least one instance of biblical integration (at least one scriptural reference).

Quality is a variation reduction opportunity waiting in the wings. Variation (or human error) reduction in process improvement is bound to require statistics, control attempts, and process capability. Statistics provides the numerical data behind variation supporting LSS projects. Variation is controlled or uncontrolled (internal or external to the process) and typically displayed graphically via X-bar and R charts. The Central Limit Theorem suggests a sample is centrally (or normally) distributed, and confidence intervals help one determine how well a sample represents the population. Process capability is simply can the process produce what the customer is demanding. Upper and lower control limits describe the spread of that process. Hands down, this is the most difficult module in the course because of the complexity of statistical processes and methods in LSS, but these concepts are central to understanding LSS. The student will write a 1,700–2,200-word paper, in current APA format, that focuses on the topics provided in the assignment instructions document. In addition to the course textbook(s) and the Bible, this paper must include at least 5 references from scholarly articles that have publication dates no older than 5 years. There should be at least one instance of biblical integration (at least one scriptural reference).

Design of experiments is another LSS tool to variation reduction and problem solving. Designing experiments is the process in which organizations investigate the various factors impacting their processes, materials, and services. Without design of experiments, very likely an organization will be operating with significant inefficiencies. While the text only briefly describes one type of experiment (Trial and Error), there are a variety of experiment designs to choose from and a host of characteristics of good experiment design. The student will write a 1,500–2,000-word paper, in current APA format, that focuses on the topics provided in the assignment instructions document. In addition to the course textbook(s) and the Bible, this paper must include at least 5 references from scholarly articles that have publication dates no older than 5 years. There should be at least one instance of biblical integration (at least one scriptural reference).

The quiz will cover the assigned Learn materials (not articles) in the course. The quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 40 multiple-choice and true/false questions, and have a 2-hour time limit.