QSO 489 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
The final project for this course is the creation of a SWOT analysis, project planning outline, and professional and personal reflection.
As the final step in your journey toward your Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Management, you will complete a capstone that integrates the knowledge and skills that you have developed in previous coursework by conducting an analysis of an organization and applying continuous improvement practices for achieving sustainable operations and effective resource management. You will also reflect on your journey through the Operational Management program and how you plan to position yourself professionally.
This capstone will be assessed somewhat differently than other courses you have taken online at SNHU. There are three separate components that operate together to comprise the whole capstone experience. For the capstone evaluation, you will be evaluated on all three as a unit. Your instructor will guide you through this process, keeping a running narrative of your strengths and weaknesses in relation to the outcomes as you progress through the class.
The project is divided into two 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 and Five. The final project will be submitted in Module Seven.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
• QSO-489-01: Assess and apply operations management theory and best practices effectively in a global environment to achieve operational goals in support of business strategies
• QSO-489-02: Evaluate and apply appropriate continuous improvement practices for achieving sustainable operations in a given environment
• QSO-489-03: Utilize quantitative and qualitative techniques for solving problems with processes, procedures, and products
• QSO-489-04: Evaluate the internal and external factors that influence business sustainability and competitive advantages in business
• QSO-489-05: Make operations-management decisions that create value while minimizing risk for the purposes of meeting specified customer requirements
• QSO-489-06: Develop and apply appropriate resource management techniques for promoting accountability, sustainability, and organizational effectiveness
Prompt
You will select an organization in operations management that is currently facing competition from other service industries in the same area (e.g.., Verizon vs. Sprint, Apple vs. Dell, Longhorn Steakhouse vs. Outback Steakhouse, Chrysler vs. Chevrolet, etc.). After laying the foundation for understanding the selected organization by analyzing data from both quantitative and qualitative sources, you will then apply continuous improvement techniques for identifying potential solutions by developing a SWOT analysis on the selected organization, ultimately contributing to its long-term planning and sustainability.
You will then develop potential solution(s) for addressing the identified weaknesses or threats (outlined in the SWOT) that would add value to the organization with minimal risk. This will also be accompanied by a project planning outline that will highlight how and when the proposed solution will be introduced, which should adhere to common industry-driven project management principles. Finally, you will reflect on your journey through the Operational Management program and how you plan to position yourself professionally through a third component in the form of a personal and professional reflection.
Capstone Component One: SWOT Analysis
For the first of three capstone components, you will develop a comprehensive, professional SWOT analysis that will help form long-term planning and sustainability strategies, outlined in a project management plan (PMP).
First, you will want to lay the foundation for conducting your SWOT analysis by comprehensively describing the selected organization and discussing the issues or problems that the organization is facing. Overall, it is important to include information that is pertinent for comprehending the organization and its problems. It is up to you to establish a robust context for understanding and responding to the organization’s need(s).
Part of establishing a solid framework for analyzing the organization is incorporating information that supports why the problem(s) exists and how it is valid. For instance, based on your chosen organization, you should include both a quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis that speak to the organization’s need and identified problem. After conducting a SWOT analysis, you will bring your analysis together by synthesizing the results and identifying potential solutions.
The following sections should be included:
I. Strengths: Identify the strengths of the organization.
II. Weaknesses: Identify the weaknesses of the organization.
III. Opportunities: Identify potential opportunities that the organization should explore in order to expand.
IV. Threats: Identify external factors that could potentially negatively affect the organization.
V. Improvements: Develop potential solution(s) addressing the identified weaknesses and threats that are listed in the SWOT that would add value to the organization with minimal risk.
Capstone Component Two: Project Planning Outline
After identifying necessary improvements in Component One, you will pick one solution to expand upon in a professional project plan. Here, you will develop an abbreviated project management plan (PMP) that showcases the essential steps you think would be effective in implementing your proposed solution. Based on your SWOT analysis, your abbreviated PMP should be presented in an outline format with proposed tasks needed for implementation that adhere to industrydriven project management principles.
• What tasks are needed in order to implement the proposed solution in the organization? Each task must be written out with thorough detail and should be organized chronologically, based on logical and appropriate start and end times for each task.
• In closing, identify the overall value added if the solution is implemented. For instance, the solution may be developed to increase service quality for customers or to increase revenue, increase product quality, and so on.
Capstone Component Three: Professional and Personal Reflection
For the third and final component of your capstone, you will write an essay in which you discuss the process and outcomes of this project, as well as how your coursework culminated in the capstone project. This may include discussions of unforeseen problems or obstacles, as well as any surprises. The essay should also discuss your identified strengths and problems that you encountered while completing the project. Finally, the essay will examine how the capstone project will be useful in the job market or in furthering your education.
You should envision this component as a personal reflection on the capstone and your experience in the Operations Management program as a whole. For instance, relative to the capstone, you could discuss what you did (or intended to do), and then consider what worked well, what challenges you faced, and what you would do differently to make your experience better. In reflecting on your time here at SNHU, you might discuss where you started, where you are now, and where you see yourself going. Note that this component is not about evaluating the capstone itself but rather your experience within the capstone project. Some of the issues that you could address in this final component of this capstone may include:
• Overall, what was your capstone experience like?
• Reflect on the significance of the capstone in relation to your own experience at SNHU.
• What connections do you see between your capstone and your academic program?
• How can learning about the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data be useful in your career?
• The SWOT allows you to analyze internal and external factors. How can this tool be helpful after graduation?
Milestones
Milestone One: SWOT Analysis
In Module Three, you will submit a SWOT analysis draft. You will develop a comprehensive, professional SWOT analysis that will help form long-term planning and sustainability strategies, outlined in a project management plan (PMP). This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Project Planning Outline
In Module Five, you will submit a project planning outline draft. You will pick one solution to expand upon in a professional project plan. Here, you will develop an abbreviated project management plan (PMP) that showcases the essential steps that you think would be effective in implementing your proposed solution. Based on your SWOT analysis, your abbreviated PMP should be presented in an outline format with proposed tasks needed for implementation that adhere to industry-driven project management principles. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Final Submission: SWOT Analysis, Project Planning Outline, and Professional and Personal Reflection
In Module Seven, you will submit your SWOT analysis, project planning outline, and professional and personal reflection. 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.
Final Project Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your final project must be 12–16 pages in length (plus a cover page and references) and must be written in APA format. Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. References should be cited using the latest edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) publication manual. You may include illustrations, photographs, graphs and charts, and other non-textual materials as needed to support the SWOT analysis (though all of the latter should be placed in an appendix or appendices if used).
This rubric will be applied to all components as a whole, and no component will be assessed on its own. The “Possible Indicators of Success” are examples for you and the instructor of the types of concepts to look for to demonstrate proficiency. They are neither exhaustive nor proscriptive and should be used as guides for illustrating how your capstone embodies the outcome. All outcomes are weighted equally.
QSO-489-01: Assess and apply operations management theory and best practices effectively in a global environment to achieve operational goals in support of business strategies
Possible Indicators of Success
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to assess and apply business strategies for identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of an organization?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to assess how organizational goals and project planning may evolve within a global environment?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to assess how operational goals designed to achieve strategic or long-term goals connect with the global environment?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to apply and justify operations management theories or best practices to an organization?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to evaluate an organization’s potential to achieve success in reaching operational goals?
QSO-489-02: Evaluate and apply appropriate continuous improvement practices for achieving sustainable operations in a given environment
Possible Indicators of Success
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to appropriately apply continuous improvement tools to an organization?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to evaluate outcomes of continuous improvement tools that are designed to help form long-term planning and sustainability strategies?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to evaluate relevant business environments for their influence on achieving sustainable operations?
QSO-489-03: Utilize quantitative and qualitative techniques for solving problems with processes, procedures, and products
Possible Indicators of Success
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to appropriately utilize quantitative and qualitative techniques for understanding and identifying organizational need?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to evaluate organizational problem(s) and validate identified problem(s) with data?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to use data to guide decision making in solving problems?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to identify the relevance of an analysis of qualitative and quantitative data in various business environments?
QSO-489-04: Evaluate the internal and external factors that influence business sustainability and competitive advantages in business
Possible Indicators of Success
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to evaluate internal and external factors for establishing sustainability and a competitive advantage in business?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to assess the strategic effects of the identified problem on the organization?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to compare and contrast a selected organization to competition from other service industries in the same area?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to evaluate an organization’s level of sustainability based on the current business environment?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to identify the relevance of an analysis of internal and external factors in various business environments?
QSO-489-05: Make operations-management decisions that create value while minimizing risk for the purposes of meeting specified customer requirements
Possible Indicators of Success
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to appropriately develop and offer solutions to identified risks?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to make effective operations management decisions by highlighting the value of identified solutions at a strategic, intermediate, or short-term level?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to make decisions or formulate solutions that are designed to meet specified
customer requirements?
QSO-489-06: Develop and apply appropriate resource management techniques for promoting accountability, sustainability, and organizational effectiveness
Possible Indicators of Success
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to apply necessary and appropriate resource management techniques for improving organizational effectiveness and promoting accountability and sustainability?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to develop and communicate a plan for resource management?
Does the capstone demonstrate the student’s ability to analyze organizational effectiveness in relation to the management of their resources?