QSO 360 Assign2-3Review the Final Project Guidelines and Rubric and the critical elements you must address in order to be successful, and address the following:Identify a process you intend to improve

QSO 360 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric Overview The final project for this course is the creation of a Process Improvement Plan. All organizations are measured by some set of goals or objectives. These goals can be established by the owners, the stockholders, or the board of trustees. To achieve these objectives, the organization establishes a series of interconnected processes, which, if designed correctly, are capable of a chieving the desired result. This is equally true whether in a college adm issions office or in manufacturing. However, processes that are not designed correctly mean the desired result is often not a chieved and entire organizations, as a result, may not measure up to the standards of all stakeholders. All processes contain oppor tunities for performance improvement that, if acted upon, can result in greater efficiency for college students and manufacturers alike. Within Six Sigma, there are many improvement methods, of which the m ost common is DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Impr ove, and Control), which is a team -based approach to process improvement. In this project, you will develop a strategy to improve a process of your choosing, using the five phases laid out in the DMA IC method. The process you wish to improve could be some thing in your personal or professional life. This project will showcase your ability to apply the DMAIC phases to an actual s ituation. While you will not be required to follow through with the process improvement plan you design, you will still have the op portunity to identify the problem, select appropriate measurement techniques, determine appropriate analysis techniques, develop possible solutions, and outline a control plan. Your will document and submit your w ork in a clear and well -organized process improvement plan. The project is divided into four milestones , which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three, Four, Five, and Six. The final plan will be submitted in Module Seven. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:  Articulate specific, measurable goals and objectives that address identified operational process problems with in appropriate scope, resource, and timeline constraints  Determine the appropriate data analysis tools relevant to process improvement for identifying gaps in current and desired pro cesses  Prioritize the most prominent causes of operational inefficiencies through an analysis of operational problems  Develop appropriate, feasible solutions that are strategically designed to solve the root causes of operational problems  Recommend basic quality tools for measuring the effectiveness of process improvement projec t outcomes Prompt Before you develop your process improvement plan utilizing DMAIC, you will need to select process in your life that you would like to improve. This may be a process that is related to your work environment, or you may just want to get out of the house faster in the morning. Regardless of what you choose, it needs to be a process that you are extremely familiar with, as you will not actually be collecting data. Ensure that you consider the critical elements below be fore selecting the pro cess you would like to improve. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed: I. Executive Summary: Compose an executive summary that explains the purpose of your project and highlights the key information from each section o f your process improvement plan. II. Define: In this section, you will apply the first step of the DMAIC model. Describe the problem you are trying to solve or the proces s you are trying to improve. You will also need to define the specific goals of the project and describe the scope of the project. A. Describe your selected problem to be solved or process to be improved and why it is appropriate for the DMAIC model. B. Based on your description of the problem, clearly define the goals of your process improvement plan. C. Des cribe the scope of the project and support your description with relevant information. For example, your relevant information might include timelines, resources, or team members. III. Measure: In this section, you will apply the second step of the DMAIC model. Compare the current state of the process you are hoping to improve to how you would like it to run. You will also determine what you will need to measure and how you intend to collect, and baseli ne, your data. A. Based on your goals, determine what you will need to measure, and identify the appropriate tools for collecting your data. B. Based on the type of data you intend to collect, select appropriate statistics to baseline the data. C. Based on the measurement tools and statistical tools you have selected, des cribe the gap between the current and desired process. IV. Analyze: In this section, you will apply the third step of the DMAIC model. Use a fishbone analysis to determine potential root causes of the problem you have identified. You will then prioritize thos e root causes and select appropriate hypothesis tests to validate those potential root causes. A. Conduct a fishbone analysis to identify potential root causes of the problem you have identified. B. Prioritize the potential root causes of the problem based on yo ur fishbone analysis. C. Based on your prioritization, select appropriate hypothesis tests to validate the problem’s likely root causes. V. Improve: In this section, you will apply the fourth step of the DMAIC model. Develop possible solutions to address the root causes you have identified. Additionally, you will discuss the risks associated with each possible solution and create an implementation plan for those s olutions. A. Based on the hypothesis tests you have selected, develop feasible solutions to address t he likely root causes of the problem. B. Identify the risks associated with each solution and describe how you will mitigate those risks. C. Create a feasible implementation plan for the solutions you have developed. Your implementation plan might acknowledge resource, scope, or timeline constraints. VI. Control: In this section, you will apply the fifth step of the DMAIC model. Select quality tools to measure the effectiveness of th e solutions you have developed. You will also outline a control plan to monitor the solutions and develop a control chart to assess the stability of the improvement solutions over time. A. Select appropriate quality assurance tools to measure the effectivenes s of the solutions you have developed. B. Outline a feasible control plan to monitor the possible solutions you have developed. C. Develop a control chart that you could use to effectively assess the stability of the improvements over time. Milestones Milestone One : Define Tollgate In Module Three , you will submit your Define tollgate. Apply the first step of the DMAIC cycle to your selected problem or process, and docume nt your results. Ensure your problem statement addresses the following: states the problem, when it was observed, how long it has been occurring, and what is the business impact of not resolving it. In addition, you must complete a Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer (SIPOC) table and inc lude your Voice of the Customer requirements transl ated to a measurable metric. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric. Milestone Two : Measure Tollgate In Module Four , you will submit your Measure tollgate. Apply the second step of the DMAIC cycle to your selected problem or process, and document your results. Compare the current state of the process you are hoping to improve to how you would like it to run. You will also de termine what you will need to measure and how you intend to collect, and baseline, your data. Create a process map, characterize each step, and summarize these results. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Milestone Three : Analyze Tollgate In Module Five , you will submit your Analyze tollgate. Apply the third step of the DMAIC cycle to your selected problem or process, and document your results. Revise your project charter as required, create a cause -effect diagram, and identify the potential root cause of the problem. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric. Milestone Four : Improv e Tollgate In Module Six , you will submit your Improve tollgate. Apply the fourth step of the DMAIC cycle to your selected problem or process, and document your results. Develop possible solutions to address the root causes you have identified. Additionall y, you will discuss the risks associated with each possible solution and create an implementation plan for those solutions. Revise the project charter as required, outline the feasibility, cost, and effect of each proposed solution, and develop your implem entation plan. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Four Rubric. Final Submission : Process Improvement Plan In Module Seven , you will submit final project , including the Control tollgate. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded using the Final Project Rubric. Deliverables Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading One Define Tollgate Three Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric Two Measure Tollgate Four Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric Three Analyze Tollgate Five Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric Four Improve Tollgate Six Graded separately; Milestone Four Rubric Final Submission: Process Improvement Plan Seven Graded separately; Final Project Rubric Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your process improvement plan should be 8 –10 pages in length with double -spacing and size 12 font. At the end of your paper, you must include an appendix of screenshots of all the slides you created for your milestones. Critical Elements Exemplary (100 %) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value Executive Summary Meets “Proficient” criteria, and the executive summary employs a particularly concise, effective communication style Composes an executive summary that explains the purpose of the project, highlighting key information from each section of the plan Composes an executive summary, but executive summary is verbose or missing key information from the plan Does not include an executive summary 5 Define: Problem Meets “Proficient” criteria, and response demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of the applicability of the DMAIC model Describes the problem to be solved/process to be improved, stating why it is appropriate for the DMAIC model Describes the problem to be sol ved/process to be improved, but response is cursory, lacks clarity, or does not include why it is appropriate for the DMAIC model Does not describes the nature of the problem or process in need of improvement 6 Define: Goals Meets “Proficient” criteria, and goals offer keen insight into why the problem exists Clearly defines the goals of the process improvement plan based on the description of the problem Defines the goals of the process improvement plan , but goals are cursory, unclear, or not logical based on the description of the problem Does not define the goals of the improvement project 6 Define: Scope of the Project Meets “Proficient” criteria, and established constraints reflect a particularly nuanced or deep understanding of the first phase o f the DMAIC method Describes the scope of the project and supports the description with relevant information Describes the scope of the project and supports the description, but response is cursory or lacks clarity, or supporting information is not relevan t Does not describe the scope of the project 6 Measure: Appropriate Tools Meets “Proficient” criteria, and response makes cogent connections between data collection tools and the project’s goals Determines what will need to be measured based on the goals, identifying the appropriate tools for collecting the data Determines what will need to be measured, identifying tools for collecting data, but determination is unclear or not based on the goals, or identifi ed tools are not appropriate Does not determine what will need to be measured 6 Measure: Appropriate Statistics Meets “Proficient” criteria, and selection demonstrates a complex grasp of statistical analysis tools Selects appropriate statistics, based on the type of data that will be collected, to baseline the data Selects statistics to baseline the data , but selection is illogical or not appropriate based on the type of data that will be collected Does not select statistics to baseline the data 6 Measur e: Identify the Gap Meets “Proficient” criteria, and response makes cogent connections between the current and desired processes and the measurement and statistical tools selected Describes the gap between the current and desired process , based on the mea surement tools and statistical analysis selected Describes the gap between the current and desired process , but description is cursory, illogical, or not based upon the measurement tools and statistical analysis selected Does not describe the gap between t he current and desired process 6 Analyze: Fishbone Analysis Meets “Proficient” criteria, and identified potential root causes demonstrate a nuanced understanding of why the problem exists at all Conducts a fishbone analysis, identifying the potential root causes of the identified problem Conducts a fishbone analysis, identifying potential causes of the identified problem, but fishbone analysis is cursory or lacks clarity, or potential causes identified are illogical Does not conduct a fishbone analysis , identifying potential causes of the identified problem 6 Analyze: Prioritize Root Causes Meets “Proficient” criteria, and prioritization demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of the order in which root causes should be addressed Prioritizes the potential root causes of the problem based on the fishbone analysis Prioritizes the potential causes of the problem, but not all causes are potential root causes, or prioritization is not clearly based on the fishbone analysis Does not prioritize the potential causes of the problem 6 Analyze: Hypothesis Tests Meets “Proficient” criteria, and response makes cogent connections between the selected hypothesis tests and the problem’s likely root causes Selects appropriate hypothesis tests, based on the prioritization, to validate the problem’s likely root causes Selects hypothesis tests to validate the problem’s root causes, but selected hypothesis tests are not appropriate for the problem’s likely root causes or not based on the prioritization Does no t select hypothesis tests to validate the root causes 6 Improve: Solutions Meets “Proficient” criteria, and developed solutions demonstrate a nuanced approach in addressing the problem’s root causes Develops feasible solutions, based on the selected hypothesis tests, to address the likely root causes of the problem Develops solutions to address the likely root causes of the problem, but developed solutions are cursory, not feasible, or not based on the selected hypothesis tests Does not develop soluti ons to address the likely root causes of the problem 6 Improve: Risks Meets “Proficient” criteria, and description demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of why those risks exist Identifies the risks associated with each solution, describing how those risks will be mitigated Identifies risks, describing how those risks will be mitigated, but identification is cursory or contains inaccuracies, or description is cursory or illogical Does not identify risks, describing how those risks will be mitigated 6 Improve: Implementation Plan Meets “Proficient” criteria, and implementation plan demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of how to implement solutions in real time Creates a feasible implementation plan for the possible solutions that have been develope d Creates an implementation plan for the possible solutions that have been developed, but implementation plan is cursory or not feasible or lacks clarity Does not create an implementation plan for the possible solutions that have been developed 6 Control: Quality Assurance Tools Meets “Proficient” criteria, and response makes cogent connections between the developed solutions and the selected quality assurance tools Selects appropriate quality assurance tools to measure the effectiveness of the developed solutions Selects quality assurance tools to measure the effectiveness of the developed solutions, but selection is illogical, or quality tools are not appropriate based on the developed solutions Does not select quality assurance tools to measure the effe ctiveness of the developed solutions 6 Control: Control Plan Meets “Proficient” criteria, and control plan demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of how the solutions can be monitored Outlines a feasible control plan to monitor the developed solutions Outlines a control plan to monitor the developed solutions, but control plan is cursory or not feasible or lacks clarity Does not outline a control plan to monitor the developed solutions 6 Control: Control Chart Meets “Proficient” criteria, and control chart demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of how to effectively assess the stability of process improvements Develops a control chart that could be used to effectively assess the stability of improvements over time Develops a control chart that could be used to assess the stability of improvements over time, but control chart is cursory or lacks clarity Does not develop a control chart that could be used to assess the stability of improvements over time 6 Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy -to- read format Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas 5 Total 100%