GB560
Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes
Unit 1 Assignment
Assignment: Applying a Model to Address a Business Process
Change
In your Reading you reviewed the Capability Maturing Model
(CMM) and in the Learning Activity you briefly practiced with the Kotter 8-Step
Model. Now you will apply one of these models to address a business process
change needed at the organization of your choice. You will also apply Porter’s
3-phase process from the learning activity to suggest a strategy and steps to
be taken in each phase.
Prepare your original Business Process Change in a Word
document using APA format. Use the Writing Center accessed through the Academic
Tools area of the course by selecting Academic Support Center. You can also
consult APA Central located in the Academic Tools area as well.
Do some research to obtain your selected specific industry
and/or organization resources. If confidentiality is a concern regarding the
organization you selected, choose a publicly traded company instead. Ultimately
it is your responsibility to ensure you do not share any of an organization’s
proprietary information.
Checklist:
Select one industry from those recommended below and then
choose one of three types of organizations provided for that industry. Select an existing company in that industry
or use your current organization and industry, and do some research. Then
choose a business process change at that company you might propose and address
the checklist items (a) through (f).
-Medical Care: Hospital; Clinic; Hospice
-Manufacturing: Computers; Textiles; Electronic Equipment
-Service Industry: Retail; Restaurant; Supermarket
-The organization for which you work. (Be careful not to
share proprietary information.)
(a) Provide the name of an existing organization. Ensure you
have access to the information required for this project and protect your
selected organization’s proprietary information. You can select a publicly held
organization if proprietary information is a concern.
(b) Describe the organization’s size (locations, divisions,
employees) and summarize the primary mission and vision of the organization. Do
not simply copy from the organization’s mission or vision statements.
(c) Based on your research of the organization, identify and
explain a single business process change that the organization will need to
undertake in the coming year. The change can result from new or improved
technologies, economic issues, or changes in the marketplace.
(d) Utilizing either (1) the Capability Maturing Model (CMM)
or (2) the Kotter 8 Step Model from the Learning Activity, outline briefly what
changes need to be undertaken at each of the stages.
-Explain how
using the chosen business process will improve organizational performance.
(e) Evaluate
Porter’s three-phase process (page 29, figure 2.1 and also see the Learning
Activity) for defining a company strategy, and create a simple chart of the
recommended change addressing issues in each phase.
(f) Use APA
format and citation style and demonstrate consistency in the body of the paper,
indenting paragraphs (paragraphs should consist of at least 3–4 sentences each)
, proper margins, citations, and references. You should use 5 references for
this paper properly cited and referenced using APA format and citation style. A
paper missing references will receive an automatic 20% reduction in grade.
Note: Your
paper will be submitted to Turnitin? to check
for originality.
Access the rubric
Submit your 3–4-page paper with additional title and
references pages in APA format and citation style to the Unit 1 Assignment
Dropbox.
GB560
Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes
Unit 2 Assignment
When planning and executing a business process change, it is
recommended to use a diagram. This visual representation of the process allows
key stakeholders to provide input on the work to be performed, and the
resources required to participate in this initiative.
Do some research on one of the following topics:
Transformation at IBM under CEO Ginni Rometti
Diversifying products at a coffee company
Implementing security at a home rental website
Implementing a robotics department at a home security
company
Checklist:
Prepare two general process diagrams (see figure 9.2) for
the Business Process Change you selected based on your researched topic.
-Diagram the current process steps taken by the organization
for the process.
-Diagram any adaptations to the process steps
after the change process is approved.
Provide a written explanation of each of your process
diagrams.
Evaluate and address the importance of the existing and
future diagrams and how they assist the organization in determining the
validity of the suggested change. Your response to this question should be 3–5
paragraphs in length. For assistance with APA see “APA Style Central” in the
Academic Tools area of the course.
Access the rubric
Submit your minimum 3–5-page paper with an additional title
and references pages in APA format and citation style with correct spelling and
grammar to the Dropbox.
GB560
Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes
Unit 3 Assignment
Applying PMBOK Concepts to Process Change
You will be submitting this Assignment as an individual
document. Remember, you should not attempt to address the questions asked
without first completing the required Reading (you may find you need to do
additional research using the Library or the Internet).
Your assignment is to apply PMBOK concepts to enable a
business process change to occur based on your chosen scenario from the topics
below.
Choose one of the following topics:
-A retirement home wants to acquire self-drive vehicles to
enable their elderly residents to shop around the corner from the retirement
home.
-A Hospice Care facility wants to introduce robots to
converse with patients and relay and complete simple patient requests.
-A building manufacturer wants to institute virtual reality
tours of building sites in 3D for clients to save on gas and time.
-You can identify a business process change at your current
or former employer. You will be responsible for maintaining information
confidential.
Checklist:
Select one specific activity to be performed within the
process change and explain the process (Ex: For a rebranding of a toothpaste
you might specify the decision making process used to determine how to
repackage the product.)
Explain where that selected activity would be performed
within the organization and who would perform the task and manage it, measure
it, and evaluate task completion. Make sure you separate out the information
requested. Do not place the information in a large block paragraph.
Delineate and describe the differences between measuring
human performance and task completion.
Describe how Six Sigma would be used to evaluate, measure,
and encourage continuous improvement concerning the scenario topic you chose.
Provide an original fishbone diagram that addresses one
risk, a potential defect, or a problem that may result from the change which
may impact goal attainment.
Explain the value of your fishbone diagram as a visual
representation.
Your response to these questions should be in an essay
format with correct spelling and grammar and 3–5 pages in length not including
a title page and references page. Your Word document should follow APA format
and citation style. See “APA Style Central” in the Academic Tools area of the
course for additional help with APA.
GB560
Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes
Unit 4 Assignment
Organizational Structure
There are three types of general organizational structures
as noted in your Reading area. Most often, structures that necessitate a high
degree of collaboration accomplish the latter via the Internet in conference
rooms, Google Hangouts™, Adobe Connect™ rooms, etc.
Based on your understanding of the three organizational
structures types, your readings, and Learning Activity, address the checklist
items.
Checklist:
(a) Explain the pros
and cons to each of the three organizational structures referred to in the
Reading area.
(b) Describe the
organizational structure you would prefer if you were the project manager and
explain why.
(c) Further explain how
the organizational structure you would choose would affect process management
versus the other two organizational structures and explain why.
(d) Scenario: An organization is changing from an HR
department hiring process to having each functional manager hire their own
personnel after the website has automatically screened applicants’ resumes. The
qualifications will now be entered by the functional manager into the website
hiring system versus having the HR department conduct the hiring process.
Explain what data you would examine for both the pre- and
post-change management project steps to assess the change and provide your
reasoning.
Access the rubric
Your response should be in the form of a minimum 3-page
paper with an additional title and reference page using APA format and citation
style with correct spelling and grammar.
Submit your paper to the Unit 4 Assignment Dropbox.
GB560
Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes
Unit 5 Assignment
Building Execution into the Change Management Plan
You have read about and practiced with various concepts
concerning change management processes and executing change management plans.
Now you will apply that knowledge to a company scenario, building in
implementation into the process so it is actionable.
Scenario: You own a fairly successful eatery and
microbrewery with cafe tables that seat 1,000 customers at any one time and
serve several types of ethnic food in a large barn-like space in Chicago,
Illinois. The restaurant has 15,000 square feet with 25-foot ceilings. After
several years in business, and increasing competition, you have decided that
you are really in the entertainment business. Besides food offerings, you
decide you will create a large games venue with a small stage for live
entertainment. Since you can put in a second floor above the restaurant area
you will not have to worry about purchasing extra land. You currently have 60
employees which includes four (4) managers that work either day or evening
shifts 7 days a week. You determine only another 20 employees will need to be
hired to service the games area of the venue where drinks will also be served.
The bank to which you are applying for an expansion loan
wants to see how you will plan for this major change and how you will execute
this plan successfully to justify the loan. Provide a convincing introductory
memo (i.e. cover memo) to the banking officer that will summarize your basic
change management plan that will convince the officer to approve the loan. You
may consult the Writing Center regarding writing persuasive memos through
Academic Tools.
Respond to the checklist items below in an essay consisting
of 4–6 pages in length with an additional title and references page in APA
format and citation style and a memo that will summarize your plan and persuade
the loan officers.
Checklist:
Identify the goals of the change management initiative.
Provide an initial action plan for implementing your change
initiative based on priorities.
Explain what tools and processes you will use to implement
your action plan.
Explain how each step will be executed in the change
management process to make it viable.
What leadership strategies will you use to ensure the plan
is executed successfully?
Access the rubric
Submit your (1) persuasive memo and (2) the 4–6-page paper
with additional references page in APA format and citation style to the Unit 5
Assignment Dropbox.
GB560
Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes
Unit 6 Assignment
Evaluating the Business Change Process
In this Assignment you will provide a critical evaluation of
a business process in the scenario provided. The final response for this
Assignment will be a 15–17 slide PowerPoint presentation with audio. The audio
portion transcript is found in the notes section below each slide. The
presentation includes a cover slide, abstract, body addressing the checklist
items, and APA citations and references.
Background: Mohammed Yunus is the founder of the concept of
microfinancing. His initial impetus to provide financing to individual small
family owned businesses in India and elsewhere inspired a movement that has
spread across the world with some controversy as to the real benefits of such
financing. See the founder’s website for some background on microfinancing.
In addition, you practiced with some of Geert Hofstede’s
cultural dimensions in the Learning Activity that you will now use to address
any cultural considerations in your evaluation of the business process
described.
Scenario: You were recently hired by a nonprofit organization
that is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. This organization, Beacon of Hope
(BOH), had a mission of providing financing to businesses who wished to start a
business in third world countries. Two years ago, they changed their mission to
providing microfinancing to individuals in third world countries who want to
start up a small business in their own country. The first two countries they
focused on were Angola and Ghana. After two years in operation, it has become
apparent that a change is necessary. Choose either Angola or Ghana to evaluate
the organization’s current process addressing the following concerns:
Here are some of the reported problems:
-Only 225 applications were received from prospects
concerning each of the two countries. At the 2-year mark, the expectation was 1200 applications for each.
-The application processing time is taking 4–6 months. The
original goal was 2 months.
-Only 100 applications have been approved for each country,
and the average loan is $10,000.
-The most recent report shows that only 15% of the
businesses funded are still in operation.
-Accessing the microfinancing funds has proven problematic
using in-country banks.
-Accounting for the expenditure of funds by BOH has been
difficult to track.
-Loan delinquency is a major concern due to business
failure.
Checklist: Evaluate the business change process by
researching and addressing the following:
Provide an overall assessment of the existing program and
what needs to be changed to be viable.
Analyze the likely reasons that the application processing
time for microfinancing is taking 4-6 months.
Identify the stakeholders who should be involved in this
change management process and explain BOH’s responsibility towards these
stakeholders. HINT: A stakeholder is any person, group, or organization that
has a positive or negative impact on the work or anyone who might be affected
by the outcome.
Explain how you will evaluate success once your proposed
plan is in place.
Access instructions concerning how to add audio to PowerPoint
presentations and adding notes to a presentation. The professional presentation
should include a cover slide, abstract slide, body of the presentation
addressing the checklist items, with APA citations and references (i.e.,
separate references slide).
Access the rubric
Submit your 15–17-slide professional PowerPoint presentation
with audio including audio transcript in form of notes added below each slide.
The presentation includes a cover slide, abstract, body addressing the
checklist items, and APA citations and references.
