BA 341 Lean Operations Fall Semester 2016 MW 8 00 8 50 a m AMB Cox Auditorium Instructor Dr Bogdan Bichescu 229 SMC Tel 865 974 1668 bbichescu utk edu Office hours T Th 3 30 5 00 p m by appointment Teaching Assistant Alisha Cecil acecil vols utk edu Office hours M W 11 00 1pm SMC 252A Course Texts Operations Management Sustainability and Supply Chain Mana 12th Edition with MyOMLab aceess By Jay Heizer and Barry Render The textbook is available in several formats as shown below Each format includes access to MyOMLab and is acceptable for class Hardcover edition available on e g Amazon Price 290 Student value edition three hole punched loose leaf available at the UT bookstore Amazon or Pearson Price 210 eBook available from Pearson MyOMLab with Pearson eText Price 115 If you already have a copy of the textbook it is possible to purchase only a MyOMLab access card MyOMLab without Pearson eText for 65 from Pearson In order to gain access to your homework assignments you will need a Pearson MyOMLab access code This code comes bundled with a new textbook in any of the formats mentioned above or can be purchased separately as also explained above Since MyOMLab is integrated with Blackboard the registration process for MyOMLab requires you to navigate to the course Blackboard page click Tools then Pearson s MyLab Mastering A MyOMLab registration guide is posted on Blackboard under Course Syllabus Thanks to the Blackboard integration a course ID is not needed The Goal by Eliyahu M Goldratt and Jeff Cox 3rd edition revised June 2012 Used copies or earlier editions are acceptable Online UT Lecture Notes various class information and a discussion board will be available on Blackboard Note that it is your responsibility to download any posted lecture notes and materials and have them available for class Blackboard will also be used for communication throughout the course Therefore be sure to have Blackboard access Course Topics and Objectives Operations is the study of the way that products are made distributed and sold and the way that services are provided The course will cover four primary topics designed to expose you to a diverse set of practical techniques that are essential in achieving a lean organization We will start by examining the critical role played by operations in delivering organizational performance as illustrated in Chapter 1 in your textbook In Chapter 2 we will focus on understanding how key strategic decisions relating to a firm s competitive positioning for example quality vs cost leadership determine a host of other more 1 1 tactical operational decisions relating to process location supply chain layout equipment etc choices Each of these decisions present unique benefits and challenges that will be explored in this class as explained in Chapters 7 and 9 Lean operations is the second topic and refers to a particular way of managing business processes that focuses on minimizing waste as explained in Chapter 16 Integral to lean are a set of principles and techniques for managing quality as shown in Chapter 6 and Supplement 6 Note that in general all principles studied in this class contribute to a more efficient and leaner organization and have been applied with equal success in both manufacturing and service organizations The third topic is the Theory of Constraints TOC which is the subject of The Goal and Supplement 7 in the text TOC is a means of linking operational decisions to the profitability of an organization We will study the application of TOC to process flow analysis and project management Chapter 3 introduces the fourth topic Project Management and illustrates the distinctive style of management required to accomplish limited duration unique tasks so often undertaken by nowadays organizations such as the introduction of new products and services We will also study the benefits of applying TOC in a project context in the form of Critical Chain Project Management CCPM Exams There will be four non comprehensive multiple choice closed book exams Only the best three exams will count towards your final grade each worth 24 Note that a single page i e single side sheet with notes either typed or handwritten will be allowed on each exam Tentative exam dates are highlighted in the timetable below Homework is a class requirement and worth 20 of the final grade There will be 10 Homework Assignments assignments during the semester and your lowest two scores will be dropped i e only 8 assignments will count toward your final grade The assignments will be administered electronically via the MyOMLab system The complete grading scheme and assignment due dates are provided below Note that all assignments are individual For MyOMLab technical support go to Tools on the course Blackboard page and look for Support Tools under Pearson s MyLab Mastering Class Attendance Participation Conduct Attendance and participation both in and out of class are critical to learning and academic success As a motivation to maximize your engagement class attendance and participation are each worth 4 of your final grade for a total of 8 Attendance is tracked with clickers and participation is assessed via Packback Clicker questions will be asked almost every class period after the first class and your responses will represent 4 of the final grade It is the responsibility of every student to obtain properly configure and register a clicker Clickers are available at the UT bookstore for about 50 Instructions on how to register your clicker can be found here Please be sure to set your clicker to channel 55 before using it in this class Packback is an online learning platform that seeks to foster student engagement outside of class via student generated questions and answers on topics covered in class or issues that relate to the course material You are expected to contribute to 10 QA sessions on Packback during the semester and each time you will have to submit a combination of at least 3 questions and or answers with at least one of each e g 1 question plus 2 answers or 2 questions plus 1 answer to earn your participation points The deadlines for the 10 2 1 Packback sessions will coincide with the homework deadlines A Packback account costs 18 and can be created at https www packback co questions Your class participation measured via Packback is worth 4 of your final grade As an additional motivation for attending class some exam and homework questions will be based on specific class examples and