MN3442 Process Management

This course provides a rigorous foundation in the analytical techniques essential for designing, managing, and improving operational processes that create and deliver an organization's primary products and services. Specifically tailored for Department of Defense (DoD) managers, it equips students with the skills necessary to effectively analyze, improve, and control operational workflows in complex environments.

The course is structured around two interrelated modules:

• Process Analysis – Focuses on evaluating operational efficiency using key methodologies such as bottleneck analysis, capacity management, cycle time optimization, critical path analysis, and queuing models.
• Process Improvement – Covers techniques for enhancing performance through Lean Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints, and other concepts pertaining the Navy’s Get Real, Get Better initiative.

Through a combination of theoretical instruction, applied exercises, and case studies, students will develop a data-driven approach to problem-solving and decision-making in operations management. Successful completion of the course earns students a Yellow Belt Certification in Lean Six Sigma, further enhancing their capability to drive continuous improvement within their organizations.

Prerequisite

No pre-requisites

Lecture Hours

4

Lab Hours

0

Course Learning Outcomes

• Adopt a Process Management Viewpoint – Evaluate and improve operational and business processes in terms of cost, quality, speed, service, flexibility, and readiness.

• Analyze and Design Operational Processes – Define, describe, and implement key concepts and analytical techniques fundamental to process analysis and design, such as capacity, bottleneck identification, cycle time, critical path, Little’s Law, economies of scale, PERT/CPM, inventory management, and queuing theory.
• Make Informed Capacity Decisions – Balance the cost of lead time delay with the cost of capacity to optimize operational efficiency.
• Assess and Improve Operational Performance – Measure and enhance key performance metrics, including productivity, inventory levels, flow time, and throughput.
• Design and Control Inventory Policies – Develop inventory strategies that balance holding costs, batch costs, and customer service requirements.
• Implement Process Control and Continuous Improvement Methods – Apply methodologies such as the Theory of Constraints, Statistical Process Control (SPC), Lean Six Sigma (LSS), and the Navy’s Get Real, Get Better initiative, including the DMAIC framework and a range of LSS tools and techniques.