M08: Operations Management Summary Report

Operations Management and Practice Operations Summary Report Assignment Description

READ THIS ASSIGNMENT VERY THOROUGHLY!

How to Prepare for the Report and Simultaneously Maximize Your Learning and Your Assignment Scores

• This assignment can be very challenging because we are asking you to think deeply, conduct research, pay attention to your experiences in Practice Operations, reflect on what you learned, actually learn from the projects, and to weave all you have learned into one report.
• Here are some hints:
  • Run the simulations, take the projects seriously, actively participatein the POM discussion boards, and complete any other assignments.
  • After you complete weekly tasks, take 10 minutes each week to capture your thoughts in the files referenced below
  • There are lessons, thought starters, summaries, etc. provided as a part of this assignment. Look at them when running the simulation and doing the projects (and other assignments)
• You will first review this report in Module 2 in the Keep The End In Mind discussion board. Some items may not make sense at that time, but you must still plan ahead. You can use the following references to keep track as the semester progresses.
  • Look very carefully at the Final Report Rubric attached to this assignment
  • Download, look at, and plan to use each week the MH Practice Operations -Data Capturing Template-Student.pptx Download MH Practice Operations -Data Capturing Template-Student.pptxto help you capture information as you progress through the class
  • Download, look at, and plan to use each week the MH Practice Operations -Report Concept Note Taking Template.pptx Download MH Practice Operations -Report Concept Note Taking Template.pptxto help you plan for and create your report as you progress through the class (you will not be presenting anything but should use this as a good way to help you organize your thoughts)
  • You will be submitting both of these documents in Module 5. Do not wait until the last minute. Begin using them, at a minimum, once you start the first Practice Operations Module 6 (POM6) simulation.

How To Write The Paper

Use This Template Download Use This Template- Rename using the format: LastName-FirstName-Course Number and Section-Summary Report.

You will need to spend some time thinking about how you will organize the paper. You need to use APA-formatLinks to an external site. citations. Although the paper will not technically be in APA format, you must cite your work. This means you must not only have a citations page but must document the references used in the report using APA-Style citation formatting.

In addition to the sections listed below, you must have a title page and a citations page. You should have at least seven citations referenced. Your book and your Practice Operations student manual are two references so you need to find at least five (5) more. They should be from reputable resources: peer-reviewed articles are great, well-respected journals, books, etc. can be referenced. Websites and blogs may be referenced but be sure they are reputable and can withstand scrutiny.

Methods to search for reputable sources for citations

• While you may use your favorite internet search engine (Google, Bing, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari, etc.), your My Ivy account has a "Library" link. Through that Library you can search for reputable articles.
• You may be tempted to use ChatGPT or another AI tool...DO NOT. The plagiarism tool checks for AI-generated content. It is also obvious when someone uses AI-generated content. A good practice is to use AI to help you focus and be more efficient but not to write your thoughts...because AI-generated content are not your thoughts or your learning.
• Also, you will find contact information for your librarians at your campus. Contact them and ask for help. Before you contact them, be sure to choose from the lists above what it is you want to research.
• Your book has references in each chapter to other books, studies, articles, etc.. These may be great resources you can use for your paper.

*** A good rule of thumb is to find three (3) times as many resources as you need. Thus, for the five (5) additional sources beyond your book and the Practice Operations student manual, you need to find 15 publications, from which you will choose the five (5) that best represent the information you want to utilize. ***

The paper will have six (6) sections (in addition to the title and citations pages), as follows:

Section 1: Operations Management Executive Summary

Refer to the operations management summary lesson

Refer to the What I Should Have Learned summary lesson

In no fewer than five paragraphs succinctly summarize operations management.

• Provide a definition of Operations Management
• Explain the linkage between Operations Management in general and Practice Operations
• Explain the linkage between Operations Management, Practice Operations, and every project
• Explain the linkage between Operations Management and Supply Chain Management
• Explain how POM6 allowed you to practices operations management skills and concepts
• Be sure you support this section with applicable resources and cite them appropriately

Section 2: Practice Operations Summary

Each of the Practice Operations Modules presented different learning challenges that, ultimately, led to each student being responsible to manage several aspects of an operations based on one factory's business model.

In this section you will summarize the role of the Operations Manager in Practice Operations. You will succinctly describe your overall role as Operations Manager and how you could or did impact your firm's overall metrics (GA, NW, OT%, Rep, and even Account Balance).

In addition, using the MH Practice Operations -Data Capturing Template-Student document used throughout the term (and submitted in Module 5, M05 - Operations Management Summary Report Data Capturing) address how, in your role as operations manager, affected these metrics and other outcomes for each functional area in Practice Operations. The five (5) areas from Practice Operations are: Human Resources, Bidding, Receiving, Production, and Shipping.

In this section, for each area, describe your role and the important aspects of the area and what you consider to be the optimal environment for each area and any roadblocks, challenges, barriers, etc. to optimal performance. What strategies worked? What did not? Referring to the short lesson on What I Should Have Learned From Practice OperationsLinks to an external site. what considerations are important? Which are not important? What is possible and what is impossible?

You do not have to directly answer any of the above questions but utilize them to help you succinctly but thoroughly describe the role and decision making impact of the Operations Manager for each functional area, along with important considerations, affect on the metrics, etc..

As a rule of thumb, this section should be from six to nine (6-9) paragraphs. Not fewer than six (6) paragraphs or the summary is likely to be disorganized and not address all required aspects. No more than nine (9) paragraphs or the summary is likely to be too long. Each paragraph should have at least three (3) sentences or they are likely to be too light on content and depth.

Section 3: Your Scores in Practice Operations

For each POM6 simulation run you received a Weighted Score (WS). This WS is based on the four (4) metrics: Goal Achieved, New Worth, On-Time Percentage or Timeliness, and Reputation Score (GA, NW, OT%, Rep, respectively). The WS is also a function of how well you did compared to other students.

First, list your scores (WS, NW, OT%, Rep) for each run of POM6 only. It is assumed you completed at least two rounds of POM6 50 turns and one round of POM6 96 turns. List in a table every result and highlight your best and worst scores. Students do not need to include POM 1, 2, 3, or 4 and do not need to address differences between with-tutorial vs. without-tutorial.

Second, in three to five (3-5) paragraphs explain why you think you achieved the scores you did. What did you learn from one round of the simulation to another? What worked? What did not work? How did you achieve your best score (what went right)? How did you achieve your worst score (what did not work well)? What changed, if anything, between one round and another in the simulation itself? What are your thoughts about the metrics themselves? Are they good or bad, right or wrong, too few or too many, weighted properly or not weighted properly, etc.? Explain.

Section 4: Operations Management In The Real World

• Discuss at least 3 important aspects of operations management you learned in this course
  • It may be useful, but is not required, to use the Five-Paragraph Theme model
• Explain what was missing in POM6 that you should have practiced and/or how POM6 is different than the "real world"

Section 5: Your Major Takeaways, A-Ha's, Learning, etc.

In this section use the 5 paragraph theme model of thinking and pick three (3) Major Takeaways from Practice Operations with respect to Operations Management. Many 5 paragraph themes are short. This should not be, and may, in fact, be more than five (5) paragraphs. The idea is to have a mini-abstract, a body expanding on that abstract, and a summary. This is somewhat of a paper-in-a-paper. Each Major Takeaway should be given a great deal of thought.

Some thought starters are:

• What did the projects such as HR Planning, Scheduling, Financial Analysis, etc. teach you about operations?
• What other A-Ha's did you experience from these projects?
• What did you learn in this course that you did not know before?
• What did you learn that strongly reinforced something you already knew?
• What surprised you? What do you wish you knew before you started POM6?
• What do you think you know now that may impact your career and make you a better operations or supply chain manager?
• How does Practice Operations and the other course material relate to each other?
• How do each relate to "the real world"?
• What area of operations management excite you?

This will be your summary of what you learned in the class and how you would apply it in the "real world." It is also okay to say that you have no idea how to apply what you learned or that you cannot. However, be very careful here. In either case you need to use solid logic and reasoning and justify your position. In the case where you state you cannot utilize what you learned you need to be able to fully justify and defend your position.

So you understand, there is a great deal of applicability of the Practice Operations simulation to many different work environments, and not just manufacturing. As an example, a restaurant is a factory of sorts. Many of the same types of operations and decisions as experienced in the POM's would apply there, and to many other situations.

However, I am not so nave or pig-headed as to believe I know everything there is to know. While I may know and have experience in many aspects of operations and supply chain management, I consider myself a perpetual student and life-long learner with respect to these subjects. Therefore, I am fine with contradictory statements and ideas as long as they are founded in reason, logic, research, and applicable experience.

Section 6: Final Summary

Reflect back over the rest of your paper. If someone were to ask you to describe your experience in this course, and especially as it relates to Practice Operations, what would you tell them?

The summary should contain three to five (3-5) paragraphs and should summarize the paper's findings. The student must be factual, consistent with what has been written previously, and ensure the final summary reflects the course topics, projects, and Practice Operations.

This section should be more personal, and written in a more narrative or reflective manner.

A good rule of thumb is to write the body of the paper and then go back and write the Final Summary and then the Executive Summary. The Executive Summary should tell the reader, in a more factual and scholarly way, what they will be reading and learning. The Final Summary will tell the reader what they read and learned, but in a more narrative, or story-telling way.

Assignment Logistics - What Am I Turning In?

1. Write a report per the above criteria and upload it here

Report Sections

• Section 1: Executive Summary - Operations Management Defined
• Section 1: Executive Summary - Operations Management and Practice Operations
• Section 1: Executive Summary - Operations Management, Practice Operations, and Projects
• Section 1: Executive Summary - Operations Management and Supply Chain Management
• Section 1: Executive Summary - Three or More Important Aspects of Operations Management
• Section 1: Executive Summary - Applicability and Inapplicability of Practice Operations to "Real World"
• Section 1: Executive Summary - Research support
• Section 2: Practice Operations Summary - Overall role and impact addressed
• Section 2: Practice Operations Summary - Each functional area addressed
• Section 2: Practice Operations Summary - Appropriate Length and Depth
• Section 3: Your Scores in Practice Operations - Were metrics addressed
• Section 3: Your Scores in Practice Operations - Best and Worst POM Scores
• Section 3: Your Scores in Practice Operations - Score explanations
• Section 4: Your Major Takeaways, A-Ha's, Learning, etc. - 5 Paragraph Theme Used
• Section 4: Your Major Takeaways, A-Ha's, Learning, etc.
• Section 5: Final Summary - Length
• Section 5: Final Summary - Reflection and Appropriate Tie to Executive Summary..