4-3 Assignment: Project Management Strategies
Overview
In this assignment, you will apply what you have learned about key concepts regarding operations management. You are encouraged to leverage your work and instructor feedback on this assignment in your course project, which is due in Module Seven.
Scenario
You work as the chief supply chain officer at NationaliTeas, a large international corporation that manufacturers and sells tea worldwide. Its mission is to “Make the world more awake through rejuvenating and refreshing beverages and sustainable practices that uplift workers, communities, and souls.” You have recently hired the company’s first project manager and have given them their first project: Revise current workflows related to packaging at one of your tea factories to be more sustainable and more lean. As this is their first project, you will be helping them complete their task.
Prompt
Read through the
Project Charter for Workflow Improvement
, then review the
Process Workflow for Tea Production
graphic. A text-only version is available:
Process Workflow for Tea Production Text-Only Version
. Based on these documents, recommend removing a total of four steps from the process flowchart that can help make the process more efficient and sustainable. Explain the implications of the proposed changes, and then help the NationaliTeas team address current items in the Issue Log located in the project charter.
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
- Lean Manufacturing: Evaluate the process flowchart to identify steps that do not add value based on the principles of lean manufacturing. Explain why you selected each step.
- Sustainability: Evaluate the process flowchart and identify steps that should be removed or changed to improve environmental sustainability. Explain why you selected each step.
- Process Changes: Explain the implications, both positive and negative, of removing or changing the steps from the process flowchart you identified in the previous two bullet points. Also explain how those changes would help alignment to the triple bottom line (TBL).
- Issue Log: Analyze all entries in the Issue Log from the perspective of a project manager and explain the recommended course of action based on the project charter, noting the impact of the issue on scope, planning communications, and resourcing.
- Operations Management Techniques: Discuss how operations management techniques, including project management and lean manufacturing, can add value to NationaliTeas.
Guidelines for Submission
Submit this assignment as a 350- to 500-word Word document. Sources should be cited according to APA style.
QSO 321 Process Workflow for Tea Production
The flowchart covers the steps involved in picking, processing, and packaging and shipping tea. The outline below details these steps at each stage of the process.
1. Farm
a. Workers pick usable tea leaves from the field
b. Picked tea leaves are weighed and grouped into 50 kg bags
c. Bags of weighed tea are moved to a processing area
2. Processing
a. Bags of tea are reweighed at the processing facility
b. Tea leaves are spread across pans and troughs
c. Tea leaves are withered on pans
d. Tea leaves are cooled
e. Tea leaved are removed from pans and reweighed
f. Tea leaves are moved onto special trays and put through a rolling machine
g. Tea leaves go through their first drying
h. Tea leaves are cooled
i. Tea leaves are removed from special rolling trays and put into new trays to go through a second drying machine
j. Tea leaves are removed from trays and reweighed; poor-quality leaves are thrown away
k. Tea leaves are visually inspected
l. Poor-quality leaves are thrown away
m. Tea leaves are moved to an oxidizing area
n. Tea leaves are oxidized
o. Tea leaves go through their final drying to complete the oxidation process
p. Tea leaves are cooled
q. Tea leaves are sent to packaging and shipping
3. Packaging and Shipping
a. Tea leaves are weighed
b. Tea leaves go through the first sorting machine; small, misshaped, or discolored tea leaves are discarded
c. Tea leaves are weighed
d. Tea leaves go through a second sorting
e. Tea leaves are put into paper tea bags and sealed
f. Tea bags are wrapped in paper packets
g. Tea bags are sealed
h. Wrapped tea bags are sorted into cardboard packs of 20
i. Cardboard packs are sealed and wrapped in plastic
j. Boxes are sorted into shipping boxes
k. Shipping boxes are wrapped and sealed, ready to be shipped
Bags of tea are
reweighed
Leaves are spread
across pans and
troughs
Leaves are
withered on pans
Leaves go
through a �rst
drying
Leaves are
cooled
Leaves are put
into new trays for
a second drying
Leaves are
oxidized
Leaves get a �nal
drying to
complete the
oxidation process
Bags are
moved to a
processing area
Workers pick
tea leaves
Leaves are put
into 50 kg bags
Leaves
are cooled
Leaves are removed
from pans and
reweighed
Leaves are moved
onto special trays
and rolled
Leaves are removed from trays
and reweighed; poor-quality
leaves are thrown away
Leaves are visually
inspected
Poor-quality leaves
are thrown away
Leaves are
moved to an
oxidizing area
Leaves are
cooled
Leaves are
weighed
Leaves are
weighed
Leaves get a
second sorting
Tea bags are
wrapped in
paper packets
Tea bags are
sealed
Leaves are put
into paper tea
bags and sealed
Wrapped tea bags are
sorted into cardboard
packs of 20
Shipping
boxes
are
wrapped and sealed,
ready to be shipped
Cardboard packs
are sealed and
wrapped in plastic
Leaves are sent to
packaging and
shipping
Leaves are sorted;
small, misshaped, or
discolored tea leaves
are discarded
FARM
PROCESSING
PACKAGING
AND SHIPPING
Picking, Processing, and Packaging TeaPicking, Processing, and Packaging Tea
Start
End
Process
Work�ow
Tea
Production
for
Boxes are sorted
into shipping
boxes
ProjectCharter for Workflow Process Improvement
Elimination of Waste and Improved Sustainability in Workflow
Contents
·
Executive Summary
·
·
Business Objectives
·
Project Details
·
Requirements
·
Deliverables
·
Estimated Schedule
·
Estimated Budget
·
Risks
·
·
Define Project Success
·
Alternatives
·
Stakeholders
·
Project Manager
·
Project Authorization
·
Issue Log
Executive Summary
As the company plans to apply for B Corp Certification within the next five years, is important to analyze our production workflow processes to look for reductions in waste and improve sustainability metrics.
Scope Statement
The purpose of this project is to analyze and look for improvements in our tea production workflow process. We primarily want to analyze the workflow processes from a lean manufacturing perspective to look for waste and to focus our processes on improving quality for the end user. We also want to analyze the workflow processes from a sustainability perspective and consider how we can make our production workflow processes friendlier to the planet as a whole.
Business Objectives
· Analyze workflow processes for improvements to increase the company’s overall sustainability metrics
· Analyze workflow processes for ways to reduce waste or unnecessary steps that don’t add value to our product’s end users
· Analyze workflow processes to improve chances the organization is approved as a Certified B Corporation
Project Details
Requirements
· Simplify the tea production workflow using lean manufacturing principles to increase efficiency
· Reduce use processes and materials that are not environmentally friendly
· Make process and material changes that cannot increase manufacturing costs
Deliverables
· Updated process flowchart
· Cost-benefit analysis of changes
· Summary of changes that specifically note sustainability measures used
Estimated Schedule
The project should be completed within two months of project kickoff.
Project Milestones or Phases
Estimated Completion Date
Project Kickoff
Day 1
Analysis of Current Workflow Process
Day 21
Completion of Research Around Potential Changes
Day 42
Final Recommendations
Day 53
End of Project
A week after the final set of recommendations is created
Estimated Budget
This project has a limited budget of $30,000. Funds are allocated for travel, research, and the hiring of a third-party contractors to support the analysis.
Risks
· Removal of critical processes could lead to overall production errors or bottlenecks.
· Removal of processes could lead to less safe working environments for employees.
· Removal of processes could lead to a lower quality end product and then lower sales and damage to the company brand.
Completion Criteria
The project is considered complete when a new, streamlined workflow process has been recommended based on analysis and research and has met requirements.
Define Project Success
The workflow production process limits waste as much as possible and is as sustainable as possible, or will improve processes by reducing waste and improving sustainability. Improved sustainability will be viewed from the perspective of the application to be a Certified B Corporation.
Alternatives
The main alternatives to the project are not to review or change internal workflow processes or to use a different operations process or philosophy that differs from lean manufacturing, such as total quality management or Six Sigma.
Stakeholders
List all known project stakeholders.
Name
Project Role
Organization
Chief Operations Officer
Project Sponsor
NationaliTeas Corporate Office
Director of Production
Project Team
NationaliTeas Manufacturing Division
Director of Quality Control
Project Team
NationaliTeas Manufacturing Division
Project Manager
Jennifer Smith
Project Authorization
By initialing each page and signing below, the chief operations officer and the project sponsor approve the project described herein and authorize it to begin.
Issue Log
Issues that come up after the charter has been approved should be added below and reviewed for impact on cost, scope, and alignment to the original project requirements. Each issue should be addressed, either through a short explanation of why it does not need to be acted on or an explanation of how it will be resolved.
· There is general confusion among stakeholders regarding their level of decision-making power, involvement, and scheduling of major project milestones.
· A stakeholder has recommended a change from the existing product packaging to a shiny foil packaging for aesthetic reasons, and they have asked for this be built into the process workflow documents.
· The procurement department wants to triple the project budget to allocate more funds to researching, testing, and finding a new supplier for compostable packaging materials.
Project Charter for Workflow Process Improvement Page 4
X
Chief Operations Officer
X
Project Sponsor