Summary

Continuous Improvement encompasses the ongoing effort to capture, create, and deliver value to internal and external customers. This course equips students with practical skills and tools to improve products/services/processes with the support of technology and empowering people.

Content

Keywords

Continuous improvement, Value Chain, Product/Service, Process, Technology, People, Operational Excellence, Engineering Leadership.

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

• Probability and Statistics

Recommended courses

• Production Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Data Science for Business

Important concepts to start the course

• Data analysis using Excel
• Active engagement and teamwork
• Advanced level of probability and statistics

Objective of this course

• Understanding how a manufacturing company captures, creates, and adds value for its customers
• Analyzing the product/service/process of a manufacturing company
• Developing and driving improvement plans for the product/service/process

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

Transversal skills

• Evaluate one's own performance in the team, receive and respond appropriately to feedback.
• Write a scientific or technical report.
• Communicate effectively, being understood, including across different languages and cultures.
• Negotiate effectively within the group.
• Set objectives and design an action plan to reach those objectives.
• Chair a meeting to achieve a particular agenda, maximising participation.
• Resolve conflicts in ways that are productive for the task and the people concerned.
• Make an oral presentation.
• Take account of the social and human dimensions of the engineering profession.
• Identify the different roles that are involved in well-functioning teams and assume different roles, including leadership roles.
• Take responsibility for environmental impacts of her/ his actions and decisions.

Teaching methods

• Formal lectures
• Case studies
• Project-based learning
• Games and simulations
• Videos
• Book chapters, hand-outs, and notes
• Guest speakers

The course is based on the implementation of theoretical concepts and models to practical cases. Students work in a group on multiple cases during the whole semester.

Expected student activities

• Individual: Self-study, Active class discussions, case evaluations, Q&A
• In-group: Teamwork (respect, brainstorming, involvement and constructive feedback)
• Presentation: Share your findings weekly in class/group coaching sessions

Assessment methods

Continuous evaluation of case reports, projects, individual and group presentations, class discussions, during the semester. More precisely:

• 25% Participation, and class engagement,
• 45% Class assignments, presentations, projects, and case reports,
• 30% Final (Final report and presentation and understanding of the case)

Supervision

Resources

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

Yes

Bibliography

Series of book chapters, hand-outs, and notes will be shared in the class. The following books are recommended for further reading (and not mandatory);

Process:

1. Stevenson, W. J. (2020). Operations management. McGraw Hill.
2. Slack, N., Chambers, S., & Johnston, R. (2016). Operations management. Pearson education.
3. Sterman, J. (2010). Business dynamics. Irwin/McGraw-Hill c2000.
4. Senge, P. M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Doubleday.
5. Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Harvard business press.

Technology:

1. Porter, M. E., & Heppelmann, J. E. (2014). How smart, connected products are transforming competition. Harvard business review, 92(11), 64-88.
2. Porter, M. E., & Heppelmann, J. E. (2015). How smart, connected products are transforming companies. Harvard business review, 93(10), 96-114.
3. Agrawal, A., Gans, J., & Goldfarb, A. (2018). Prediction machines: the simple economics of artificial intelligence. Harvard Business Press.
4. Rogers, D. L. (2016). The digital transformation playbook: Rethink your business for the digital age. Columbia University Press.
5. Gupta, S. (2018). Driving digital strategy: A guide to reimagining your business. Harvard Business Press.Chicago
6. Iansiti, M., & Lakhani, K. R. (2020). Competing in the age of AI: strategy and leadership when algorithms and networks run the world. Harvard Business Press.

People:

1. Dweck, C., (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books
2. Goleman, D., (2005). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Random House Publishing Group.
3. Tan, C. M. (2018). Search inside yourself. HarperOne; Reprint edition.
4. Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan.
5. Kahneman, D., Sibony, O., & Sunstein, C. R. (2021). Noise: A flaw in human judgment. Little, Brown.
6. Kohlrieser, G. (2006). Hostage at the table: How leaders can overcome conflict, influence others, and raise performance(Vol. 145). John Wiley & Sons.
7. Rosenberg, M. B. (2002). Nonviolent communication: A language of compassion. Encinitas, CA: Puddledancer press.
8. Stone, D., Patton, B., & Heen, S. (2010). Difficult conversations: How to discuss what matters most. Penguin.

Ressources en bibliothèque

• Rosenberg, M. B. (2002). Nonviolent communication: A language of compassion
• The digital transformation playbook / Rogers
• Tan, C. M. (2018). Search inside yourself
• Goleman, D., (2005). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ
• Stone, D., Patton, B., & Heen, S. (2010). Difficult conversations: How to discuss what matters most
• Dweck, C., (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
• Competing in the age of AI / Iansiti
• How smart, connected products are transforming competition / Porter
• Business dynamics / Sterman
• How smart, connected products are transforming companies / Porter
• Prediciton machines / Agrawal
• Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow
• Driving digital strategy / Gupta
• Operations management / Stevenson
• The fifth discipline / Senge
• Kahneman, D., Sibony, O., Sunstein, C.R. (2021). Noise : A flaw in human judgment
• Operations management / Slack
• Leading Change / Kotter
• Kohlrieser, G. (2006). Hostage at the table: How leaders can overcome conflict, influence others, and raise performance