Learning outcomes

Relevant program learning outcomes

$$ Critically analyse synthesise and reflect on project management theory and

developments, both local and international, to extend and challenge knowledge and

practice

$$ Professionally communicate and justify project scope, design, implementation, strategy

and $/$or outcomes, engaging effectively with diverse stakeholders across a range of

industry sectors

$$ Apply the specialist knowledge and technical skills required to creatively address the

diverse needs of project stakeholders, formulating innovative solutions and

demonstrating independent and sound decision making related to your professional

practice and the discipline

Relevant course learning outcomes

$$ Define and discuss quality objectives in relation to diverse industry projects

$$ Apply project management strategies to address stakeholder requirements

$$ Apply quality management processes to produce a management plan which is

responsive to client needs

Relationship to the course content

This assessment task relates to course materials presented in Module $1$ through Module $7.$ It is

advisable to start this task when you have completed Module $4.$ You may reuse your own

content from AT$1$ without citing that submission.

Introduction

In many ways, the modern quality movement emerges in response to the industrialisation of

tangible production that would once have been undertaken in a craftlike fashion. Quality is

found to be largely determined by the process employed to transform inputs into outputs,

thereby making the process a natural focus of quality management activity. While the

production process is often considered as distinct from the people that operate it$,$ leading

quality management thinkers emphasise that it is in fact a hybrid concept that represents an

amalgam of human and mechanical endeavour.

In this assignment you will practice some of the fundamental management ideas emerging from

the modern quality movement such as the $$process approach$$ articulated by ISO $9000$:$2016$

$($Section $2\mathrm{.}3\mathrm{.}4).$ Importantly, you will adopt the pragmatic approach espoused by Taichi Ohno of

$$go and see$$ as you demonstrate a deep understanding of a real process that you can observe $-$

right now.$$ Copyright Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology $2024.$ You must not post

RMIT content on third party channels, sites or apps $($eg Course Hero, Chegg.com,

Assignment Tutor, Facebook, YouTube, X$/$Twitter$)$

Having demonstrated an understanding of your chosen process and the quality of its output

$($drawing from what you learned in AT$1),$ you will then make recommendations that will change

the process to improve quality at minimal or zero cost as you channel Crosby $(1979)$Quality is

free$.$ Your submission for this assessment will be a report that advocates for process change

and quality improvement through a well$-$argued quality improvement plan.

Task description

Your task is to select a readily observable production or service delivery process and propose

changes that improve the quality of its outputs. The selected process may generate tangible or

intangible outputs or a combination.

You are to employ ideas from the course, such as process mapping, to describe the existing

process $($the $$actual$$ state$)$ and to argue for a new process $($the $$proposed$$ state$)$ that improves

the quality of outcomes $($remember quality is your goal, not efficiency$).$ Importantly, your

improvements need to focus on what you see before you $($your scope$)$ and must be undertaken

at minimal or no cost $($think carefully how you might justify this$).$

To improve the process, you are to draw from ideas described in the course to articulate a case

for change in a professionally presented report. The audience for this report will be the business

or process owner. It is important that you describe quality and how it will be improved by the

changes proposed. It is also vital that you justify your proposed improvements using well

considered arguments that are supported by literature where possible.

As you go about your analysis remember to consider the human aspects within the process and

to consider how the owner might move from the $$actual$$ to the $$proposed$$ process.

Lastly, the are some constraints, as follows:

$$ You MUST observe the process contemporaneously as you undertake the assessment

task. This means that you are not to draw from a remembered experience or something

you read about.

$$ Your submission must include references to at least five $(5),$ but no more than ten $(10)$

articles which support your points. You MUST employ RMIT Harvard referencing style.

$$ You cannot choose companies as processes.

$$ You cannot select processes within Starbucks or McDonalds as these have been

overstudied.

Suggested approach

Start by thinking about processes that you can observe. Process is all around us and much of it

is visible. Try to avoid processes where elements are mostly hidden. Simplicity here is often

helpful, as it