BMA5105: Operations and Project Management Assignment

Individual Report:
We Make Stuff........Better

Due Date: Friday 16th April 2021 @ 12 noon

50% of the module assessment

The Basics

 Submit a written proposal (2500 word limit +/- 10 percent)

 This will propose an operational improvement for a real organisation
 You have to use Operations Management tools
 Make it compelling

The Brief

A lot of Operations and Project Management is about making things better; finding better ways
to deliver the same products, or finding ways of making products better.

An important skill within industry is being able to identify operations improvements and then
propose those improvements in the right way. The “right way” is the way that encourages
people to understand and adopt your ideas. This is a chance for you to develop that skill.

Your brief is to make things better; propose an improvement in the operations management of
an organisation. It can make things cheaper, quicker, improved, more flexible or dependable. It
can involve goods, services or both. It can be an organisation you work for, you have worked
for, you have seen or even one you have researched out of interest. The vital thing is you need
to have sufficient information to do the following:

 Find a problem or an opportunity for improvement.

 Use appropriate Operations and Project Management tools to develop your proposal.
Analyse what is happening, what is needed and what could be better. Use the tools to
show how things can be improved.
 Develop your proposal into a complete plan; what should be done, why, how and
when.
 Present it well;
1. Create a written proposal that includes all of the relevant details that you need
to clearly explain what you are recommending.
2. Create a clear summary to help inform readers to be enthusiastic about your
proposal; a summary should make a reader interested about the topic and
explain the key parts of the proposal.
Your work

 You should include a brief outline of your chosen organisation and the products/services to
which your initiative relates.
 You should present your initiative for change, describing what, how, why and when it could
be implemented.
 You will support your initiative using analysis including operations and project management
tools.
 You will need some data and you will need to explain how you gathered it, what
assumptions you have made and any other data you would like before implementation.
(more details provided within lectures).

Guidelines

 A reminder of a standard report format is suggested at the end of this briefing to remind

you of what typically gets included. I believe a summary is critical as it gives people a way
into the report but for this assignment there is no fixed structure. 
 To score higher marks I am looking for you to use your judgement to structure your
proposal so that it is compelling reading.
 There is a limit of 2,500 words equivalent but only write up to this limit if you have valuable
content.
 There is no penalty for short proposals and well-written more concise proposals are likely
to gain more marks for persuasion. 
 Use appendices for extra information.
 Reference all data and work you have used using the Harvard format

Key points to remember

 You should structure your proposal to be compelling.

 The summary is critical. It gives people a way into the report.
 Additional Info
this is designed to help but it’s not essential
FAQs
How do I choose a problem?

- Pick something you understand; you will need data so look for companies where there is data
available. This will generally be somewhere you have seen.

- Pick something small. Don’t try and recommend changing all of Volkswagen’s operations to make
higher quality cars. You could, for example suggest a small change to the way one dealership
works.

- Pick something where there’s room for improvement. You don’t need to change things radically,
but you must be able to show how change will make it better. Don’t report on how efficient Apple’s
logistics are, suggest a way delivery to the end users in the UK could be better.

- To find a problem, look around you. Look at the things in your world. If you can’t find anything,
look further; visit organisations, talk with your friends and family. Start early and keep going until
you have an idea.

How much do I need to explain the situation?

Just enough for the reader to understand. Be clear about the organisation, the way it works, your
data and your analysis. You don’t need to map the whole organisation or explain all of its history.

Can I make up a theoretical organisation or problem?

No

Does my proposal have to be practical? How can you tell?

Yes it has to be practical. You need to explain how it would work, how it could be implemented and
why it is better than what is there today. The readers will assess its practicality based on what
information you give them.

What if I do all of the analysis and it turns out to be too expensive at the last minute?
That’s unlucky. If you get to this stage, make the proposal and highlight what would be needed to
make it practical; a slightly different technology, or a cheaper cost, for example.

Finally

This assignment is intended to give you the chance to demonstrate your abilities in an area of
interest to you in a way you may be able to use in the future. If you get stuck or are not sure of the
best way forward don’t be afraid to ask

Good luck
 Standard Structure
This is a mediocre, standard structure provided for guidance. It will not lead to a great proposal but
may help as a starting point. People often ask what sections to include. The choice is yours, you
need to make a compelling written proposal. Here is a guide for a simple structure.

Title page
This should look good with an interesting title. You can use a front cover from the options in
Microsoft Word. Include the usual info like your name, student number, the date etc. Quite often
this is good place to include a very short abstract or key tag line.

Executive summary
50 - 250 words to sell your whole proposal.
Short, interesting and explaining the whole proposal.
This creates the first impression of your proposal and sets the tone. Write it last.

Introduction
Interests the reader, give them plenty of info on what they will read and leave them ready to read
the core of the proposal.
An introduction should put your work in context (what industry, company etc) and explain the
whole proposal in limited detail; aim, methods and an indication of the recommendations. It should
also indicate the structure.

Main sections
Maybe start with a background section giving details of the market conditions or the developments
leading to the current position.
You might have a section titled “the problem” or “the opportunity” pointing out how the problem
situation can be seen
Perhaps follow this with the analysis you have carried out showing the tools you’ve used,
explaining why, and the results. (Don’t waste time explaining in detail how the tool works, keep the
information here concise).
You may have a section describing and analysing a range of options.
Somewhere explain the improvement initiative in detail and how and why it is relevant to the
company. Does it align with the strategy? What does it make better and why should they care?
You should show how the initiative will be implemented. Give a simple plan
The titles will vary but never call this ‘main section’. Guide the reader by using appropriate
headings. One word may be too brief, a sentence too much.

Conclusions and Recommendations

This should bring together all the man sections. Don’t bring in anything new, you should summarise
and develop what is in the main sections clearly and concisely.
Clearly state the potential benefits and any drawbacks.

Appendix
All the things that may be important. Detail of the data, company history etc, include in appendix.
Of course, whatever you do needs to be referenced rigorously using the Harvard style.
Assignment Marking Rubric 0-39% 40-49% 50 -59% 60 – 69% 70% - 84% 85% +
(Indicative)
Fail Third Lower Second Upper Second First
Unacceptable Satisfactory Sound Good Excellent Outstanding
Performance: Does you proposal Your proposed You demonstrate You demonstrate a clear You demonstrate the Your intervention offers well As with First, but the case is
intervention is understanding of the grasp of the benefits to alignment and benefits of explained and justified overwhelming.
offer appropriate benefits which inappropriate, unlikely organisation, you the organisation and your intervention well. You benefits resulting in a
are aligned with the to work or unjustified identify some likely risks and issues of provide a case for action strong case for action. You
organisation’s needs? benefits. Justification implementation. based on tools of analysis. use tools appropriately and
is weak. effectively

30 %

Practicality: Is your proposal Your initiative is You have described Your intervention is Your intervention is Your intervention is well As with first, but mature,
unclear or an intervention which clear and well defined, coherent and practical. You described and likely to meticulously planned and
likely to work? Discussion of the inappropriate is relevant but it has supported by have covered issues of work, the path to executed proposal using
initiative; nature, practice and significant flaws or appropriate tools of analysis, risk and implementation is clear. high quality analysis.
operational implications. demonstrates partial analysis and implementation. You have Several tools or theories are Faultless in execution.
understanding implementation. There used several tools used well and with critical
may be drawbacks. appropriately. comment.
40 %

Persuasion: Is your proposal Your proposal is very Your proposal is Your proposal is Your proposal is clear and Your proposal is well Your proposal is hard to
unclear or unattractive. largely coherent. explained clearly and interesting; well structured structured and presented, ignore and compelling. It
presented in a compelling way? There may be errors coherently. There are and presented. conveying all the important offers answers to all the
or elements which are few errors or wasted information clearly and questions needed in
30 % weak. elements. accessibly. accepting the proposal and
starting implementation.