For Milestone Three, you will submit your Financial Assessment and Resource Planning Brief, which will become part of Component 3, due in Module Nine. In the brief, you will begin developing key finan
QSO 7 0 0 Final P roject Gu idel ines a n d R u b ric
Overview
For t he ca pstone asses sment, you will crea te a Produc t Laun ch Comprehen sive Strategy an d P rofessiona l Re flection.
The capstone rep resents the fin al sta ge in your goal to obtain a Master’s Degree in O perat ions and Project Management. This fi nal cou rse will al low you to
demonstra te proficien cy in all areas of operati ons and proje ct management. You will develop an overall, comprehe nsive stra tegy to bring a new produ ct from
design to mass pr odu ction within a manu factur ing or ser vice enviro nment. Al ong the way you will complete three critical stages of the developm ent p rocess that
will req uire competent skil ls in project and operations management. You will al so complete the three sta ges of prod uct laun ch, demonstrati ng that the p rodu ct or
service has gone successfully from concepti on to high -vo lum e manu factur ing or full-service integ ration. Add itionally, yo u will self-reflect on project and
operat ions management as a car eer focus or on futu re asp irati ons if you already work in the disc ipline.
Evalua tion of Cap ston e
The capstone will be ass essed s omewhat di fferent ly than other courses you ha ve tak en online at SNH U. The re are four sepa rate com pon ents that will be
su bmitted at different times d uring the course; howev er, they opera te together to compose the enti re capstone e xperie nce and are not asses sed s eparately. You
will be evaluated on all four components as a un it to det ermine whet her you have demo nstrat ed profic ien cy in e ach outcom e. All f our components must be
completed at the hi gh est levels; the stren gths of one cann ot “m ake up for” the weaknes ses in another. Your work is expected to meet the high est profess ional
stan dards. R emember, you are selli ng yourself as a competent operat ions and project management p rofessional as much as you are selling yo ur p roduct laun ch
strat egy.
The capstone project is div ided i nto three milestone s, which will be su bmitted at various points throug hout the course to scaff old learn ing and ensu re qu ality
final s ub miss ions. The se milest ones will be su bmitted in Modu les Two, Four, and Six. The final s ub mission for Cap ston e Comp onen t 1 is due in Modu le Se ven ,
Cap ston e Comp onen t 2 is du e in Modu le E ight, Cap ston e Comp onen t 3 is d ue in Modu le Nine, and Cap stone Comp onen t 4 is d ue in Modu le Ten.
This asse ssment will evaluate your mastery with respect to the following outcom es:
Re commend stra tegies for optimizing pro du ction of goo ds and services based on a detailed an alysis of existing proce sses, resources, and business goals
Identify and recom mend total q uality management (TQM) principles and method s ap propriate to a given context
Creat e, evaluate, and as sess pr oject plans to ensu re desired p roject outco mes
Re commend inven tory management strategies and tech niqu es for improving the efficien cy of a su pply ch ain
Evaluate operat ional a nd project management environ ments usi ng quantita tive tools a nd tech niqu es
Manage cross-fun ctional enviro nments to ensu re the achievement of operat ional a nd proje ct management goal
Pr om pt
Two scena rios will be pres ented for your r eview. One scenar io is manu factur ing base d, whi le the other scen ario is b ased on a service operat ion. In each scenar io,
a s ervice or manu factur ing facility is und erta king the laun ch of a new produ ct or ser vice. Ch oose the scena rio be st su ited for your cur rent or future a rea of
interes t. In the scenar io yo u choose, develop an overall, c omprehe nsive strategy to su cce ssfully laun ch the produ ct into mass pro du ction , or service into full
integrati on, within the organizati on. A ll e lements of op erati ons management a nd proje ct management are captured within this p roduct or service laun ch
acti vity. You can ass ume the facili ty has the available floo r space (manu factur ing scenario) and infrastr ucture (service scena rio), bu t you must develop the overall
plan for equ ipment, resource s, inven tory, manu factur ing , service implement ation, and logisti cs. This plan should also list the stak eholder and customer
req uire ments; consider these req uirements as the plan is developed.
Ulti mately, you will cre ate the ov erall s trategic p lan by developing four sepa rate components: produ ct/service laun ch st rategy and planning ; manu factur ing or
ser vice, produ cti on/resource sched uling , and inv entory management pla nn ing (if app lica ble); financial asses sment and resource plann ing ; and self-reflec tion on
project and operat ions management. Each of these com ponents sh ould inc lud e a compre hensive descri ption of activities and outline the ra tionale for each
element of the pla n.
Cap ston e Comp onen t 1: Produ ct/ Se rvice Laun ch Strategy and Plann ing
This is the first of the four capstone requ irements. In this c omponent of the capstone, crea te the pro du ct/service laun ch stra tegy and the overall pl an , includ ing
a Ga ntt ch art, to introdu ce a new produ ct or service into an existing facilit y.
Complete a 12 - to 15-page report (includ ing charts a nd/o r g raph s) detaili ng the rati onale for why each el ement is i nclud ed as a mile ston e to su pp ort the produ ct
laun ch a nd ide ntifying the sta keholders.
Cap ston e Comp onen t 2: Manu facturing or Se rvice, Produ ction /Reso urce Sche duling an d Inven tory Mana geme nt
In this s econd phase of the capstone com ponent, de velop the manu factur ing or service-rela ted req uirements nec essary to su pp ort the introdu ction of the new
produ ct or service.
For t he manu factur ing produ ct scenario, yo u will create a manu factur ing and invent ory plan that ad dres ses the f ollowin g:
Manu factur ing s ystems
Supp ly ch ain util izati on
Ca pacity
Inven tory management strategy
For t he service scena rio, yo u will cre ate a pr oce ss plan that add resses the following :
Proce ss flow ch art
Proce ss time study
Res ource staffi ng plan
This c omponent s hall be accompanied by a 12- to 15 -page report (includ ing charts an d/o r graph s) detail ing the rat ionale beh ind each of the major items outlined
in the manu factur ing /service plan. This will includ e detai ls to su pp ort each constituent of the plan and any calc ulati ons or g raph ics that fully dep ict the overall
plan.
Cap ston e Comp onen t 3: Finan cial Assessme nt and Re sou rce Plann ing
In the third component of the capstone, condu ct a financial ass essment (cost/benefit analys is) of the new produ ct/se rvice as well as ide ntify all related re sources
needed to su pport the produ ct or service laun ch.
You will cre ate a fi nancial asses sment (cost/benefit analysis) that ad dresses the followin g:
Res ources (includ ing , b ut not limited to):
o Eq uipmen t/m aterials
o Staff ing
Cost (includ ing , b ut not limited to):
o Cost to manu facture the p rodu ct
o Cost to com plete the service
o Cost associated with su ppo rti ng operations
The third component shall be accom panied by a 12- to 15-page rep ort detailing the rat ionale beh ind each of the major items outlined in the financial
asses sment. This will inc lud e the detailed calc ulat ions and ap propriate graph ical too ls used to fully su pp ort your fi nancial assessment and resource plan.
Cap ston e Comp onen t 4: Professiona l Reflection
For t he final com ponent of yo ur capstone, you will wr ite an essay in wh ich you disc uss the pro cess and outcomes of this pro jec t, as well as h ow your coursework
cum ulated in the capstone project. This may inc lud e discuss ions of u nforeseen problems or obstac les, and any unexpected sur prises. Th e ess ay should also
disc uss your identif ied st reng ths and pro blems that you encoun tered w hile comp leting the project. Fi nally, the essay will examine ho w the capstone project will
be useful in t he job mark et or fu rtheri ng your edu cation.
You are en couraged to discuss h ow the SNHU experience ch ang ed yo ur perc eption of operat ions and project management and how it has affec ted your cur rent
job or your fut ure career a spirations. A dd itionally, take a self -awa reness app roach and ev aluate yo ur own stren gths and weakne sses as they relate to operations
and proje ct managemen t; what are your s trong points? Mo st importantly, what are the areas that req uire improvement to su cce ed in operat ions and project
managemen t?
You should envision this component as a per sonal ref lec tion on the capstone and yo ur exp erie nce in the operati ons and project management pr ogram as a
wh ole. For instance, relat ive to the capstone, you could disc uss what you did (or intend ed to do), and then consider what worked well, what challen ges
yfaced, a nd what you would chang e or do different ly to make yo ur experience better. In reflecting on your time here at SNH U, you migh t disc uss whe re you
start ed, whe re you have ended u p, and whe re you see yo urself going .
Note that this com ponent is not about evaluati ng the capstone itself b ut rat her your experien ce within the capstone proj ect.
So me of the issues that yo u could ad dress in the final component of this capstone may includ e the followi ng:
Overall, what was your ca pstone exp erie nce lik e?
Refle ct on the sign ificance of the capstone in relat ion to yo ur own experien ce at SNHU.
What conn ec tions do yo u see between your capstone, yo ur acad emic p rogram, and a care er in operat ions and proje ct managemen t?
How will you ap ply what yo u have lear ned to yo ur fut ure aca demic an d/or p rofessional l ife?
As a result of com pleting the capstone, what are yo ur str eng ths and where do you ne ed improvemen t?
What is yo ur per cepti on of operat ions and project management based on your capstone and overall acad emic experienc e?
Milestone On e: Produ ct/Service Laun ch Strategy an d Plann ing Brief
Mi lestones
In Modu le Tw o, yo u will s ubmit a Produ ct/Se rvice Launch Strate gy and Plann ing Brief, which will al so beco me part of Com ponent 1, du e in Modu le S even. In
Miles tone One, you will exp lain which case stu dy you have sele cted, p rov ide a r ationale for why you selec ted this p artic ular organizati on , and describe what new
produ ct or service you are proposing for the organizati on. Includ e the pro posed app roach you will use for p rodu ct/process development. Also inc lud e a high -
level dep loy ment stra tegy and the overall p lan with a Ga ntt chart that will be us ed as the f ramework to int rodu ce a new pro duct or service into an e xisting
faci lity. You can beg in ide ntifying key stak eholders that will need to be involved in the projec t. This milestone will be grade d with the Mileston e One Ru bric.
Milestone Two: Manu facturing or Service, Produ cti on/Re source Sched uling an d I nve ntory Manag em ent Brief
In Modu le F our, yo u will submit the Manu facturi ng or Servic e, Produ ction/Re source Sched uling and I nv ent ory Management Br ief, whi ch will be come part of
Component 2, du e in Mo dule Eigh t. In this b rief, you will begin defi ning the manufactur ing or service-rel ated requ ire ments nec essary to su pp ort the intr odu ction
of a new produ ct or service. Y ou will propose the manufactur ing system (if a pp rop riate), propose how inventory (if a ny) will be managed, and beg in the high-
level estimates on capacity and /o r resource plann ing . A detailed p rocess f low ch art must be developed show ing the recom men ded service or manu factur ing
proce ss. This mileston e will be grade d with the Mileston e Tw o Ru bric.
Milestone Thre e: Financia l Assessmen t an d Resource Plannin g Brief
In Modu le Six, yo u will su bmit a Fin anc ial Assessme nt and Resou rce Plann ing Brief, which will become part of Com ponent 3, du e in Modu le N ine. In the brie f,
yo u will begin developing key financial documents. Yo u may ne ed to su pp lement the case stu dy with a dd ition al res earch on cu rrent or past financial s tatemen ts
for t he organization. Consider how the new pro du ct/service fits into the financial capaci ty of the organization . Is the new service/product app ropriate for the
organizati on’s strateg ic financial inv estment? Describe the company valuation and the financial fit of the new produ ct/se rvice. Begin estimati ng the costs to
manu facture or de velop the service, the staff ing needs, the materials or eq uipm ent ne eded, etc. Next estimate the plann ed be nefit of the new produ ct/se rvice
maki ng su re to consider the ongoing costs as well as the initial d evelopm ent costs. In the app en dix inc lud e an initial draft of the financial valuation and
justificat ion of the new produ ct/service using a stan dard ap proach such as a cost/benefit ana lysis, return on investment, internal rate of return, net present
value, an d/o r break -even analysis. This mileston e will be grade d with the Mileston e Three Ru bric.
Final S ub mission: Caps tone Components 1– 4: Each component is d ue in a d iffe rent modu le; ho wever, all four comp onen ts will be grade d as o ne fina l
sub mission , grade d wi th the Fina l Project Rub ric.
Ca pstone Component 1: Produ ct/Service Laun ch Strategy and Plann ing
In Modu le Se ven , yo u will submit Cap stone Com ponent 1. It should be a complete, polished artifa ct contai ning all of the criti cal el ements of the final
produ ct. It s hould reflect the incorporat ion of feed back gained th rough out the course.
Ca pstone Component 2: Manu facturing or Service, Produ cti on /Re source Sched uling an d I nve ntory Manag em ent
In Modu le Eight, you will sub mit Caps tone Component 2. It sh ould be a complete, p olished artifact contai ning all of the crit ical e lemen ts of the fin al
produ ct. It s hould reflect the incorporat ion of feed back gained th rough out the course.
Ca pstone Component 3: Financia l Assessmen t an d Resou rce Planning
In Modu le Ni ne , you will submit Cap stone Com ponent 3. It should be a com plete, polished artifact containing all of the crit ical e lemen ts of the fin al
produ ct. It s hould reflect the incorporat ion of feed back gained th rough out the course.
Ca pstone Component 4: Professio na l Refle ction
In Modu le Ten , you will submit Cap stone Com ponent 4. It should be a com plete, polished artifact containing all of the crit ical e lemen ts of the final
produ ct. It s hould reflect the incorporat ion of feed back gained th rough out the course.
De liv erables
Mileston e Del iverab le Modu le Due Gr ad ing
One Produ ct/Se rvice Laun ch Strategy and
Plann ing Brief
Two Gra ded s eparately; Miles ton e One Ru bric
Two Manu factur ing or Se rvice,
Produ ction/Re source Sch edu ling and
Inven tory Management Brief
Fo ur Gra ded s eparately; Miles ton e Two Ru bric
Three Financial Asses sment and Resource
Plann ing Brief
Six Gra ded s eparately; Miles ton e Three Ru bric
Final S ubmission: Caps tone Component 1 Se ven Gra ded com prehens ively; Final Project Ru bric
Final S ubmission: Caps tone Component 2 Eigh t Gra ded com prehens ively; Final Project Ru bric
Final S ubmission: Caps tone Component 3 Nine Gra ded com prehens ively; Final Project Ru bric
Final S ubmission: Ca pstone Component 4 Ten Gra ded com prehens ively; Final Project Ru bric
Final Project Rubric
Guide lines for Sub mission : Your capstone will includ e a title pa ge, introdu ction, main body (components of yo ur pro du ct/service laun ch strate gy), yo ur
reflec tion, and formal re ferences. I nclud e an app en dix for yo ur illustrat ions, p ho tograph s, gra ph s and charts, and other nontextual materials as needed to
su pport your comprehe nsive produ ct launch stra tegy. Utilize the latest ed ition of APA a nd format yo ur work with 12-point Times N ew Roman font. Page leng th
req uire ments for each comp onent a re includ ed in the descriptions of the components abov e.
This r ub ric will be app lied to the four components as a whole, and no com ponent will be asses sed on its own.
The “P ossi ble Ind ica tors of Success” are examples for yo u and the instru ctor of the types of concepts to look for to demonstrate proficie ncy. They are neither
exhaustive nor p roscri ptive and sh ould be used as g uides for illustrating how your caps tone embodies the ou tcom e. A ll course outcomes are weig hted equ ally.
QSO-700 -01: Recomm end strategi es for optimizing produ cti on of goods and services based on a detai led
analysis of existing proce sses, resources, and business goals
Proficien t
100%
Not Proficien t
0%
Possib le Indica tors of Success
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to strateg ically plan for optimal prod uctio n?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to app ly an alytical thinking to op tim ize produ ctio n/service plann ing?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to describe a cro ss-fun ctio nal team to supp ort a produ ct laun ch?
QSO-700 -02: Identi fy and reco mmend total qu ality management (TQM) principles and methods ap propriate
to a given context
Proficien t
100%
Not Proficien t
0%
Possib le Indica tors of Success
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to insightfully deter mine an d sati sfy custome r requ ireme nts?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to ensu re that t he achieveme nt of the produ ct/ service laun ch is impleme nted with a process app roach
to op erati on s ma nageme nt?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to use an integrated systems app roach to laun ch a produ ct/ service wit hin a facilit y?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to utilize a custom er-centric app roach to op erati on s ma nage ment?
QSO-700 -03: Crea te, evaluate, and assess pro ject plans to ens ure desired p roject outcomes Proficien t
100%
Not Proficien t
0%
Possib le Indica tors of Success
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to critically assess the fina ncial implications of produ ct/ service de velopme nt?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to evaluate the overall produ ct/ service laun ch for custom er and stakeh older requ ireme nts?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to an alyze potenti al risks of produ ct/service developm ent?
QSO-700 -04: Recomm end inv entory management st rategies and tech niqu es for improving the efficiency of a
su pply ch ain
Proficien t
100%
Not Proficien t
0%
Possib le Indica tors of Success
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to cre ate an inventory plan that stra tegically ma ximizes resources?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to identify o ptimal inventory ma nageme nt strategies?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to cre atively utilize material requ ireme nt plann ing techn iqu es?
QSO-700 -05: Evaluate operati onal a nd project management environments usi ng quantita tive tools a nd
tech niqu es
Proficien t
100%
Not Proficien t
0%
Possib le Indica tors of Success
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to critically evaluate overall produ ction an d ma nu facturing capaci ty based on custome r de mand s?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to for ecast operati on al and produ ct requ irements to supp ort produ ct/ servi ce laun ch?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to app ly a break-even method of investme nt analysis within the laun ch of a produ ct?
QSO-700 -06: Manage cross-fun cti onal e nviro nments to ensu re the achi evement of operat ional a nd project
management goals
Proficien t
100%
Not Proficien t
0%
Possib le Indica tors of Success
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to strateg ically utilize an d integrate supp ort fun ctio ns to supp ort the o perati on du ring a
produ ct/ service laun ch?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to deter mine an d com mun icate the goals of each supp ort fun ctio n, allowing the orga nization to ful fill
bu siness goals?
Does the capston e dem onstrate the stud ent’s ab ility to strateg ically take ad vantage of the cross-fun ctio nal eff ort, meeting op erati on al and project
manage ment goals?
