IE 8590 Capstone Design Project: Course Overview Scott J. Mason, Ph.D. Fluor Endowed Chair in Supply Chain Optimization and Logistics Professor of Industrial Engineering

Course Objectives Identify capital projects industry opportunities to apply industrial engineering tools and techniques learned in the Master’s of Engineering with emphasis in Capital Project Supply Chain (“M.Eng.”) curriculum Apply a broad range of industrial engineering skills to solve these problems Communicate the scope of and solution to these problems through both written reports and oral presentations Document actual or potential savings in terms of ROI on M.Eng. degree program costs

Course Structure Students work in teams of 1-3 members Size of project team will correlate with project expectations and deliverables Could use IE 8580 discussion board for “Partner Wanted” ad Work with current employer or other firm to identify an applied project requiring M.Eng.-specific skills Potential for “project list” to be generated by companies to offer suggestions for project topics Other student teams will iteratively define their project via regular discussions with course instructor (as quickly as possible) Regular, frequent conference calls/online meetings with instructor early in the course will be necessary

Example Project Roadmap Define a general objective Value Stream Mapping Define/document the current “as is” situation and value to customer Identify opportunities for improvement Focus down to specific objective(s) Estimate savings potential Apply industrial engineering methods and techniques Use M.Eng. coursework and experience Document (potential) improvements and resulting (estimated) savings ROI and/or payback period in reference to degree cost

Large-scale process analysis Example Projects Location analysis Site selection, location, and sizing of competing alternatives Large-scale process analysis Intermodal supply chain analysis involving location, capacity, and growth projections Warehouse layout/re-layout Facility layout, automation, and scheduling assessment Load consolidation Outbound freight flow analysis

Compile work into written documents Course Structure (2) Compile work into written documents Project Proposal Document Bi-Weekly Status Updates Final Project Presentation Final Project Executive Summary PowerPoint-based oral presentation of results Interactive presentation with faculty feedback/input Project client invited to attend final presentation or project team could make an additional (potentially higher level) briefing to client

NUMERICAL (not contract) GRADING! Project Proposal Report (Word) Course Requirements NUMERICAL (not contract) GRADING! Project Proposal Report (Word) Early project definition and proposal submission is encouraged Bi-Weekly Project Status Updates (Word) Prior period’s progress Planned progress for this period Issues or road blocks May necessitate preemptive conference call with instructor

Course Requirements (2) Project Final Presentation Slides (PPT) Assessed by instructor for Organization Content pertaining to project objectives, tasks, activities, and timeline Deliverables Grammar, formatting Client acceptance (as documented by an e-mail to the instructor) Project Final Presentation Content Delivery Technical quality and accuracy Completeness and clarity

Course Requirements (3) Project Final Executive Summary (WORD) Assessed by instructor for Organization Content pertaining to project objectives, tasks, activities, and timeline Deliverables Grammar, formatting

Course Project Goal M.Eng. project teams will strive to document actual or potential savings from their efforts in order to quantify their company’s ROI on their M.Eng. degree program costs. ROI could be measured against company’s existing rate for deciding on investment alternatives Payback period could also be computed in terms of the length of the degree program

Assessment Plan Proposal reports, final reports, and final presentations all will be evaluated in terms of Organization Content pertaining to project objectives, tasks, activities, and timeline Deliverables Industrial engineering tools and techniques applied Validity of the analysis and conclusions

What Makes a “Good” Project? SMART Specific Measureable Achievable Realistic Timely Important to its owner Ripe for IE skills application Of interest to the student(s) pursuing it