Engineering Project Management and Lean Methodology Assessment
Project CASE STUDY: Chinese OEM Reduces Returns with Improved Product Testing
For original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) supplying the automotive industry, a product can be returned well before the car it's in reaches the end customer. A key metric suppliers often use in tracking the performance of their products is therefore the number of defective parts per million (ppm) occurring while the car still has 0 kilometers (km) on the odometer.
When Continental Automotive Systems, Tianjin, China, began producing an electronic component known as the silver box for a General Motors subsidiary, the 0 km return goal was less than 100 ppm; the actual return rate, however, was 1,200 ppm.
Company personnel launched a Six Sigma improvement project to make process improvements that would achieve the 100 ppm goal within a year.
Questions -
Question 1: A. As a project manager of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, develop an activity sheet by using the following table:
B. As a project manager of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, develop a Work break down structure (WBS) for project scheduling from activity sheet by using bottom up approach.
C. As a project manager of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, develop Gantt chart for the project.
Question 2: As a project manager of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, develop Network diagram by using Activity Sheet, WBS and Gantt chart, as developed in Question 1.
Question 3: As a project manager of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, , run Critical Path Method (CPM) analysis tool on network diagram(of Q4) to find
A. Each activity duration (D), earliest start (ED), earliest finish (EF), latest start (LS), latest finish (LF) and slack time (S).
B. As a project manager of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, determine Critical path of the project.
Question 4: A. As a project manager of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, identify potential risks that may occur in this project. (At least five risks need to be identified)
B. By using the following matrix grids, evaluate the identified risks in 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project.
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Rating for likelihood and seriousness for each risk
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L
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Rated as low
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E
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Rated as extreme (used for seriousness only)
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M
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Rated as medium
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NA
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Not assessed
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N
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Rated as high
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Grade: Combined effect of likelihood/seriousness
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Seriousness
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Likelihood
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Low
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Medium
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High
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Extreme
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Low
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E
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D
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C
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A
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Medium
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D
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C
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B
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A
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High
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C
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B
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A
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A
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C. As a project manager of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, develop and apply risk mitigation strategies and monitor their impact. (Use following strategies and their impact tables)
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Recommended actions for grades of risk
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Grade
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Risk Actions
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A
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Actions to reduce the likelihood and seriousness to be identified and implemented as soon as the project commences.
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B
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Actions to reduce the likelihood and seriousness to be identified and appropriate actions implemented during project execution.
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C
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Actions to reduce the likelihood and seriousness to be identified and costed for possible action if funds permit.
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D
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To be noted - no action is needed unless grading increases over time.
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E
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To be noted - no action is needed unless grading increases over time.
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Question 5: A. Explain factors that could affect the reliability of 'silver-box'. Categories factors according to production, assembly and operation.
B. It is sometimes claimed that increasing reliability beyond levels that have been achieved in the past is likely to be uneconomic, due to the costs of the actions that would be necessary. Present the argument against this belief in context of given project case study.
Question 6: As a project manager of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, recommend quality assurance and quality control in terms of the production systems.
Question 7: Evaluate key steps that Continental Corporation should follow while performing quality audit of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project.
Question 8: As a part of lesson learned report of the 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, make a diagram that should suggest cost of quality to Continental Corporation in the development of their products. It should include:
- Failure Cost curve
- Prevention cost curve
- Cost of quality curve
Question 9: As a project team member of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project , compare Pareto chart, Trend chart and Cause and effect (Fishbone) diagram and identify the solutions that should lead to reduction in number of defects of produced parts.
Question 10: A. Identify the various lean methodology approaches that have been implemented in the 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project.
B. As a project manager of the 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction', propose two other lean methodology techniques that can be implemented after the project for further improvement or Kaizen, on the manufacturing process. Justify your answer and indicate the expected improvement.
C. Explain how the Principles of lean can be applied to any part of the whole process in the electronic component production process. Be specific in your discussion.
Question 11: A. Critique on how the 6 Sigma approach has been implemented by the team in the project.
B. As a team member of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, analyse Pareto chart that is identifying defects in various categories of the 'silver box', and suggest a lean strategy to reduce internal and external failure.
C. As a project manager of 'GM Holden 0 km Return Reduction' project, suggest steps for data collection that Continental Corporation needs to follow for effective quality measurement process in the project.
Question 12: A. Identify three challenges the team faced in managing the project and how the team have managed to overcome them.
B. For each of the challenges stated in (A), suggest other alternative approaches that the team could use to overcome the challenges. Explain your answer.
Attachment:- Assignment File.rar