The final case is an individual project, you will develop a

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The final case is an individual project, you will develop a proposal to improve a process

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The final case is an individual project, you will develop a proposal to improve a process. We talk about work examples as they apply continuous improvement and Baldrige from your experience throughout this course; your final project is an application of what we learn in this course and applied to a work situation based on your experience in a previous or past organization. Yes, this is probably unlike anything you have previously developed in a graduate course because it is a direct application that uses information from this class to help you improve a work situation through your leadership.
You will identify a problem by the end of week three (and post this in the designated area of the discussion board) that requires a TQM/CI process improvement initiative through an organization with which you are/were associated. Remember: THIS IS A PROPOSAL – you will not be providing results and outcomes; instead, you are making a proposal that will include ways to measures for these results. I always direct students to choose a topic that is either good for your organization or good for your career. This is not busy work. Instead, this is meant to be a substantive piece that can be developed for work and can be used to help you enhance your opportunities for success (and it should go on your resume). You will develop the case by clearly explaining the problem and by building a continuous improvement proposal that you can use immediately by integrating assessment models, a SWOT, Baldrige, quality tools and proposed ways to measure outcomes. If you already have completed the change class (MSM 6635 or MGT 6681), use what you already learned. A list of required components as they relate to format and writing in general can be found in the project rubric and these instructions which will be used to grade this case.

MSM 6645 Individual Final Project

You will identify a problem by the end of week three (and post this in the designated area of the discussion board) that requires a TQM/CI process improvement initiative through an organization with which you are/were associated. Remember: THIS IS A PROPOSAL – you will not be providing results and outcomes; instead, you are making a proposal that will include ways to measures for these results. I always direct students to choose a topic that is either good for your organization or good for your career. This is not busy work. Instead, this is meant to be a substantive piece that can be developed for work and can be used to help you enhance your opportunities for success (and it should go on your resume). You will develop the case by clearly explaining the problem and by building a continuous improvement proposal that you can use immediately by integrating assessment models, a SWOT, Baldrige, quality tools and proposed ways to measure outcomes. If you already have completed the change class (MSM 6635 or MGT 6681), use what you already learned. A list of required components as they relate to format and writing in general can be found in the project rubric and these instructions which will be used to grade this case.

The initial topic for this project must be posted by the end of week two to the discussion board that is designated for this purpose. Your final, REVISED proposal is due Sunday, week 3. Use the feedback and proposal instructions on the last page of this document to assist you. You may change your topic later (should an opportunity present itself) but please check with me first.

You will use your textbook, a diagnostic model (from MGT 6681 or MSM 6635), the Baldrige Criteria, a SWOT analysis, proposed quality tools and measures and Kotter’s implementation model:

· MBNQA - Criteria 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (we do not use #7 because it is about results from all the other Criteria). Please note that Criteria one through six are required, this is not optional. You may not pick and choose which ones you wish to use, is required that you use all of them except #7. Keep in mind that Baldrige is a systematic approach to continuous improvement, all the Criteria are separate elements of a systematic approach. If you leave out one, it’s going to cause problems.

· 6 Box and 7 S diagnostic models (pick ONE)

· Since these two models generally represent systems theory, there is no need to include a separate discussion on systems theory, the butterfly effect, chaos theory and so on. Instead, incorporate any comments you wish to make about a systems approach into your discussion of your diagnostic model. These are provided in the course if anyone has not had the course yet.

· Kotter’s implementation model (8 steps)

· SWOT analysis

· Measurement instruments (existing surveys and other measures can be used, or you can suggest some from other sources - just provide an example). Because there is no way of knowing if we’ve made any progress unless we measure, at least two measures are required. If there is any confusion about this, contact the instructor. Proposed measures must be directly related and relevant to desired outcomes. Two basic measures include one of whether the goal was accomplished, another one is how effective was the improvement process since the proposal is for a work goal, these are two very different things. Please see the end of this paper for more information.

· Two exemplary papers from students who completed this program successfully are available in the course. I strongly recommend that you review these for format, content, and sequence - these may help you develop your own proposal.

· This is a business proposal, it is not a typical “research paper”. There are differences!!!! Please contact me if you have any questions about the differences. For example, an executive summary is required instead of an abstract. An executive summary is a summary of the entire paper where you explain the issue, what you are proposing, and what you expect - this is quite literally a summary of your document into pages or less. Do not write an abstract, if you submit this you will need to rewrite it before it is acceptable. Remember who your audience is! Your audience is probably an executive with very little time so keep this short, complete, and concise.

You will develop a paper that is a minimum of 10 pages long, but no longer than 20 pages plus an executive summary (instructions for this are in the course), appendices, table of contents, references page(s) and a title page) all following APA requirements (title page, double-spaced, APA citations and references, etc.). When you are writing your own case, you first want to have the story clear in your mind; if this means you need to write it down, do so. Then review your case keeping the Criteria in mind looking to see where they fit. (Keep in mind that a textbook is not ordinarily used for references because it is, in and of itself, a huge list of references. However, in this course I will allow you to use your textbook as a reference with a maximum of four citations.)

You will need a minimum of 12 references, at least 8 of which must be academic articles, one of the remaining minimum must the MBNQA Criteria; you may use any articles in this course or you may find in the Troy Global Campus Library (as you know, there is a live link to the library on the homepage of Blackboard/eTroy. Under no conditions is anyone allowed to use URLs to replace academic articles. In addition, articles taken from anything similar to or resembling Wikipedia, the Huffington Post, or any opinion a website will not be counted and the paper will be returned to you without a grade. TQM requires management by fact, not opinion and not hearsay. If this is not clear, please ask me about this under Ask the Instructor in the course and I will be glad to explain.

Follow the same paper outline described in Team Project (title page, executive summary, introduction, background, current situation, implications, and conclusions) but remember to include a table of contents and the other items noted above.

Be sure to include answers to these questions in your case analysis - your outline should be based on the following items, not necessarily in this order. However, keep in mind that it is necessary to establish the background, the problem, and provide diagnoses before you can start recommending improvements or how to implement these improvements. Never provide recommendations before the diagnosis, this is equivalent to a medical doctor giving you a prescription without knowing what is making you ill.

· Executive Summary – not an abstract, there is a difference.

· Title page with your name, table of contents, sections headers, APA formatted references, appendices and attachments as needed. Treat this as a business document, even though it is also partly a research project.

· Table of Contents (use the feature in Microsoft Word, it’s much easier)

· What is the background information for your story?

· A statement of the problem - identify the issue and why it is important to make changes

· The SWOT analysis - this is the “big picture” analysis, the details should be included as an appendix but you should provide a few key items in the body of the paper.

· Which model - 6 Box or 7 S diagnostic model (pick one model, don't use both) - do you see in this case? Apply the model. Identify and provide an analysis of the areas for improvement using your chosen model and explain what needs to be improved and why. Keep in mind this is also your discussion on how systems theory applies, and that your analysis and diagnosis will most certainly impact other parts of the organization. Do not pick and choose two or three parts of your diagnostic model, when you select the model you must use every single part otherwise you are leaving out part of your diagnosis. Again, provide the key elements in your paper and provide the details in the appendices.

· What are the problem areas as identified by your chosen diagnostic model and the SWOT?

· What are your recommendations based on the problem areas identified with your diagnostic model and SWOT? Once you have recommendations, you are ready to propose your implementation with Kotter’s model.

· Keep in mind that benchmarking and baselining are forms of measurement and can establish status and a basis for comparison. How would these help you in your continuous improvement effort? How can both inform your efforts?

· Explain what quality tools are proposed, be specific - how are these appropriate for your proposal? What information will they provide?

· How would each of the Criteria (1-6) listed above apply in this case? For each Criteria, pull out the component that relates to your specific continuous improvement effort and provide support for this in the body of your paper. Do not use Criteria 7 for this assignment. Baldrige should not be a separate section in your paper, it should be integrated either as part of your diagnosis effort or as part of your recommendations. The basic idea for proposing process improvement is to integrate multiple models; demonstrate that you can do this.

· How will the Kotter implementation model be applied? Explain how each step will be addressed. To apply your implementation model for your project, you need to implement the recommendations you developed earlier.

· How will you measure/ assess your success? Include a sample survey or assessment method for at least two areas – effectiveness of the change proposal and efforts and a measure of goal attainment for the specific goal. HOW will you use your data to make improvements? We just spent weeks talking about the need to measure, this is an important element of your final paper (don't forget it, and don't explain this by saying you're going to do a survey - provide more detail).

· What was learned from this continuous improvement effort? (Include this in your summary)

· What are the benefits realized, and what are future challenges? (Include this in your summary)

· What would you recommend to others and why, based on what you learned? (In your summary)

· What lessons were learned that you could share with the company, and what lessons would you share with the public/stakeholders? (Include this in your summary)

· Conclusions/Summary

Note: Include appendices in your paper so some items such as the diagnostic model and Kotter’s implementation model don’t have to be written in the text because they are usually large and will disrupt the flow of your paper. In addition, the SWOT can be an appendix, and you can simply refer to ‘Appendix whatever’ instead of writing out all the information. Let me know if you have any questions on this. If you use this as a business proposal, the appendices will be very effective in providing specifics for your process improvement proposal.

The instructor strongly recommends that as you progress through the course, you should be developing 1-2 pages on your topic area for each one of the criteria. In this way you will not have an entire paper to develop in the last 2 to 3 weeks. The old saying about “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time” applies here.

EXAMPLES:

A few examples are provided to help you see how these might fit into your final paper. Use your own judgment and use your own approach:

For Kotter, include a diagram or written steps that explain the model in an appendix with appropriate citations/reference (e.g., Appendix A). List the key points for your paper with that model in the appendix, be sure to include enough detail so someone else can implement your plan. When you come back to the paper, have a separate section with the title (maybe "implementation model and steps”) and a paragraph that explains which model you are using with appropriate citations and that details may be found in Appendix A. Based on the analysis provided in the appendix, these key points were determined as the central to the change and improvement effort (and then have a short explanation).

As you can see, this does not need to take up 5 to 6 pages when you can do it in 1 or 2. Likewise, for the SWOT analysis - and be sure to watch the videos so the difference is clearly understood between what is internal and what is external - put the diagram in an appendix along with the explanation and then refer to it in your paper with a paragraph. Whatever additional diagrams or figures you wish to use may also be included in the appendices as long as they are appropriately noted with an explanation of why they are included in your paper. This should save a significant amount of paper space. If this is not clear, please contact me. When you finish the SWOT, check it to make sure your threats and opportunities are external to the organization, and weaknesses and strengths are internal to the organization. Graduate students frequently confuse these, this is a common error.

Note: When determining what types of measures will be used to determine 1) whether your continuous improvement process was effective and 2) if the goal was attained for whatever project - don't just tell me you're going to use a survey. There are many ways of obtaining information - surveys are overused. If you do include a survey, you must have another method such as a focus group, a post-project assessment, or anyone of many possible approaches. Benchmarking and baselining are also forms of measurement, if there is any confusion about how to measure, contact the instructor.

PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS:

You should have already read the instructions above for the final paper. Your initial proposal for week two is much easier! Post a paragraph in the assigned discussion board with your topic, provide a little background for informational purposes; explain which diagnostic model you are going to use as well as what process you want to improve (this is also problem-solving but with continuous improvement you will always be making things more efficient and more effective). Explain why the model is appropriate; provide at least one reference that you are using. I may ask a few questions for clarity, but the purpose of the proposal is to make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to work on before you get to the project due date - plan, this gives you plenty of time to develop your project. Please remember that your initial proposal is not graded, the final proposal is graded. Be sure to complete both.