QSO 300 Final Project Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric
Overview: For the second milestone of your final project, you will submit a quality, process, and location analysis case study analysis that will address the
typical problems that operations managers face. This case study analysis will be incorporated into the final summative analysis. This milestone is due in Module
Four.
Prompt: Refer to the Nissan case study, your own independent research, and the course materials to answer the following items. Specifically, the following
critical elements must be addressed:
I. Theories and Techniques
A. Explain the five steps of the theory of constraints (TOC) process. To what processes might the company in the case study apply TOC? Why would
applying TOC to these processes be advantageous?
B. Describe how total quality management (TQM) principles and tools can be used to improve quality in the latest line of products in the context of
the case study.
II. Data Analysis
A. Draw a cause-and-effect diagram that assesses why some of the company’s supply chain partners might have struggled to implement some of the
company’s newly developed materials. Summarize your findings from the diagram.
B. Draw a hypothetical process (time-function) map for producing a recently released (within the past two years) product manufactured by the
company. As an operations manager, how will you use the value map? Be sure to include your process map within your case study analysis.
C. Considering the data and options below, determine where the company should locate its new manufacturing plant. Explain why this would be
the favorable location.
Factor Weight Mexico City Columbia, SC
Political Risk .25 70 80
Transportation Costs .20 40 90
Labor Productivity .20 85 75
Rental Costs .15 90 55
Labor Costs .10 80 50
Taxes .10 90 50
Guidelines for Submission: The format for this assignment will be a Word document using a business writing format of your choice. There is no minimum page
length requirement, but the submission should be double spaced, and no more than four pages in total. Copy and paste any data analysis from Excel into your
Word document for submission. You may include your original Excel documents as supplementary material if you believe this will strengthen your contribution.
Rubric
Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (75%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Theories and
Techniques:
Theory of
Constraints
Correctly explains the five steps
of TOC and explains why it would
be advantageous to apply TOC to
specific processes in the case
study
Correctly explains the five steps
of TOC but does not explain why
it would be advantageous to
apply TOC to specific processes in
the case study
Does not explain the five steps
of TOC or explanation is
incorrect
18
Theories and
Techniques:
Total Quality
Management
Describes how TQM can be used
to improve quality in the context
of the case study
Describes how TQM can be used
to improve quality but does not
provide context in the case study
Does not describe how TQM
can be used to improve quality
18
Data Analysis:
Diagram
Properly draws a cause and effect
diagram assessing the struggle to
implement newly developed
materials and summarizes
findings
Properly draws a cause and effect
diagram assessing the struggle to
implement newly developed
materials but does not
summarize findings
Does not properly draw a cause
and effect diagram
18
Data Analysis:
Process Map
Accurately draws and includes a
process map for product and
thoroughly describes how it
would be used by an OM
manager
Draws and includes a process
map for product, but drawing is
inaccurate, and description of
how it would be used by OM
manager is either not thorough
or missing
Does not draw and include a
process map for a product
18
Data Analysis:
Data
Correctly determines where the
new plant should be located and
explains why this is a favorable
location
Correctly determines where the
new plant should be located but
does not explain why this is a
favorable location
Does not correctly determine
where the new plant should be
located
18
Articulation of
Response
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
10
Total 100%
