QSO322FinalProjectGuidelinesandRubric.pdf

QSO 322 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview
A detailed foundational knowledge of logistics management is essential to a successful logistics career. Companies want emplo yees to be able to assess existing
processes and practices, but also to improve these processes to cut costs and meet deadlines. Your assessment for this course is a report or presentation with
detailed speaker notes or a recording using a tool such as Jing, detailing your analysis and including foundational recommendations for an existing company’s
logistics framework. This report will focus on one organization and will be broken up into several sections to give attention to the key areas of logistics
management. Throughout this course, you will have the opportunity to receive feedback from your instructor to help you achiev e a successful final submission of
your evaluation report.

The project is supported by a milestone, consisting of 16 questions directly related to each critical element of your final case study submission. This milestone
will be submitted in Module Five. The final submission will occur in Module Seven.

In this assignment you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

 Calculate costs and production needs based on analysis of organizational logistic needs assessments and customer requirements

 Identify company logistics, capacity planning, and resource needs by applying foundational qualitative and quantitative analysis methods

 Propose foundational methods for integrating logistic delivery systems into a cohesive, lean delivery system to satisfy customer demand at least cost
 Analyze variable demand cycles, carrying costs, customer preferences, and just-in-time principles for successful inventory management
 Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of physical distribution systems for receiving, storing, and shipping raw goods and finished products

Prompt
Your needs assessment and improvement proposal should answer the following prompt: Given the organization, products, and specifications provided in the
Acme Bicycle case study, what are the logistics needs and what suggestions can you make for improving aspects of the framework?

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Needs and Scenario Assessment
A. Assess customer logistics support needs for a product line.

1. Scenario Background: Analyze the logistic support needs of an external customer given their own production requirements and
considering time, cost, and quantity of materials needed. What are the key elements, such as product requirements, provided in the
scenario that are essential for determining the logistic support needs of the organization? What are the needs of the organization?

2. Sourcing Alternatives: Given required logistic support, calculate the costs for in-house and outsourced production of goods for the
demand cycle. What would be a best package solution that considers in-house capabilities and outsourced alternatives that would allow
for least cost, given your results?

3. Post-Sale Support/Reverse Logistics Needs: Calculate the estimated warranty costs for a product and explain what the costs mean for
the company. Something to consider in the explanation is support needed to customers post-sale to plan post-sale support,
replacement, and discontinuation of products. For these, you will need to estimate the failure rates from the scenario.

B. Assess company capacity and approaches in order to satisfy needs.
1. Capacity Constraints: Given customer requirements and sourcing mix, identify specific capacity constraints in production. You will need

to figure out the known capacity in view of project demand to do this successfully.
2. Product Positioning: Develop a plan for positioning finished goods to ensure ease of delivery and convenience, while also attending to

resource needs and capacity constraints.
3. Materials Requirements Planning: Given the required rate of production and plant capacity, create a material requirements plan to

successfully fulfill customer and logistics needs identified in the scenario and during your analysis of the case. Your plan should be
simple, focusing only on the needs identified and your plan to ensure you are meeting material requirements.

II. Optimization Proposal
A. Recognize and apply logistics management techniques given internal capabilities.

1. Production Plan Creation: Given the set of production requirements for one item, determine optimal batch size (the best size or number
of products per batch that you will create in a given set to meet production requirements) for a product considering the set-up time and
calculated demand patterns.

2. Production and Stockage Alternatives: Considering the required output for the product line, develop a single solution or mix of make-
to-stock, make-to-order, or make-to-engineer methods to fulfill projected demand.

3. Profit Potential: Given the set of costs and selling prices, determine and explain the optimal mix of two products a company could
produce given the capacity constraints you identified previously.

B. Manage sourcing and inventory to minimize costs.

https://learn.snhu.edu/d2l/lor/viewer/view.d2l?ou=6606&loIdentId=12203

1. Inventory Levels: Determine inventory levels of three products to minimize costs while considering the production schedule and
projected sales. In other words, what would be the best number of each product to have on hand to meet projected sales while not
wasting money on extra storage of unsold goods?

2. Inventory Management Evaluation: Discuss the effectiveness and efficiency of the inventory management process, considering key
metrics such as inventory turn rate, stock outages, and carrying costs for three products.

3. Planning for Inventories: Based on historic and projected data, determine the likely inventory position for three products that balances
the need to minimize costs with avoiding stock outages. In other words, calculate and explain the significance of not-in-stock rates for
three products, based on product and demand schedules.

4. Just-in-Time (JIT) Inventory: For the given inventory consumption patterns, determine an opportunity to use JIT inventory techniques to
reduce warehouse needs while not starving production capacity. In other words, calculate JIT inventory needs for a segment of a
production line for a single day.

C. Manage a physical distribution system to minimize costs.
1. Physical Distribution Process: Based on the inventory requirements, develop a physical distribution process for the company that is

focused on necessary square footage of warehouse space for given inventory levels.
2. Warehousing Effectiveness: Given the set of required inventory, evaluate the effectiveness of the warehouse operations using key

metrics (that you will choose). Be sure to consider the following in your calculations of key metrics: receipt of raw goods, stowing,
shipping, and warehouse relocation.

3. Shipping Management to Minimize Costs: Develop a plan to deliver finished goods to customers within given shipping requirements for
three products while minimizing costs.

4. Warehousing Utilization: For the required inventory, determine the effectiveness of warehouse utilization for the inventory. Your
evaluation of warehouse utilizations should include calculating space utilization rates for commodities.

Milestone: Acme Bicycle Case Study Questions

Milestones

In Module Five, you will submit answers to 16 questions related to the Acme Bicycle case study. Answering the 16 questions will assist you in completing your
final project case study, due in Module Seven. Answer the questions as completely as possible to prepare yourself for the final case study. Each question
identifies the critical element of the final project to which it is related. Review the case study questions, and review their alignment with the corresponding
critical elements of the final case study: Case Study Questions Alignment.

Final Project Submission: Acme Bicycle Case Study
In Module Seven, you will submit a report or a presentation with detailed speaker notes or a recording using a tool such as Jing. This rep ort or presentation will
detail your analysis and will include foundational calculations and suggestions for optimizing an existing company’s logistic s framework. 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. The final
project will be graded using the Final Product Rubric (below).

Final Product Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: You will have two options for submission of your final project: You may create a presentation with detailed speaker notes and

appropriately cited resources, or you may create a report in APA format. Regardless of your choice, your submission should be of professional quality and clear,
without spelling, grammar, or citation errors. You must also show all calculations in an appendix section of your report or an appendix slide(s) of your
presentation.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Assessment: Scenario
Background

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
depth and detail of analysis show
insight into the logistics support
beyond foundational
considerations

Analyzes the logistic support
needs of the scenario external
customer, considering production
requirements, time, cost, and
quantity of materials needed

Analyzes the logistics support
needs of the scenario external
customer, but not in
consideration of given
requirements or with gaps in
necessary detail

Does not analyze the logistics
support needs of the scenario
external customer

5.7

Assessment: Sourcing
Alternatives

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
comparison identifies least-cost
combination while still meeting
customer demand

Correctly calculates costs for in-
house and outsourced
production of goods for demand
cycle for comparison for least
cost

Calculates costs for in-house and
outsourced production, but
incorrectly or in a manner that
would not allow for comparison
for least cost

Does not calculate costs for in-
house and outsourced
production of goods for
comparison

5.7

Assessment: Post-
Sale Support

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
explanation is a comprehensive
overview of the key elements of
post-sale support costs and
needs

Accurately calculates estimated
warranty costs given failure rates
for a product and explains what
the costs mean for the company

Calculates estimated warranty
costs for a product, but
estimation is inaccurate, or does
not explain what the costs mean
for the company

Does not calculate estimated
warranty costs for a product

5.7

https://learn.snhu.edu/d2l/lor/viewer/view.d2l?ou=6606&loIdentId=12201

https://learn.snhu.edu/d2l/lor/viewer/view.d2l?ou=6606&loIdentId=12202

Assessment: Capacity
Constraints

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
identification is qualified with
explanation of the specific
deficiencies in production

Identifies production capacity
constraints by calculating known
capacity in view of projected
demand correctly

Identifies production capacity
constraints by calculating known
capacity, but determination or
calculations are incorrect or
incomplete

Does not identify production
capacity constraints by
calculating known capacity

5.7

Assessment: Product
Positioning

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
plan identifies the improvement
opportunities for product
positioning accurately to make a
feasible plan

Drafts a logical plan to minimize
costs of transporting raw goods
and delivery of finished goods
between two plant sites and
three customer sites based on
correct calculation of costs

Drafts a plan to minimize costs of
transporting raw goods and
delivery of finished goods
between two plant sites and
three customer sites, but plan is
not logical, or the calculations on
which it is based are not correct

Does not draft a plan to minimize
costs of transporting raw goods
and delivery of finished goods
between two plant sites and
three customer sites based on
calculation

5.7

Assessment:
Materials

Requirements

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
materials plan is accurate in
identifying or preventing risks to
successfully fulfilling
requirements

Creates a simple material
requirements plan based on
correct calculations of projected
raw goods requirements for
production

Creates a simple material
requirements plan, but does not
base it on calculations, or
calculations were performed
incorrectly

Does not create a simple material
requirements plan

5.7

Proposal: Production
Plan Creation

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
plan is detailed to the level of
identifying shortcomings in
capacity compared to the
demand cycle

Creates production plan that
determines optimal batch size for
one product considering the set-
up time, production
requirements, and calculated
demand patterns

Attempts to create production
plan, but it is not based on set-up
time, production requirements,
and calculated demand patterns

Does not create a production
plan

5.7

Proposal: Production
and Stockage
Alternatives

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
solution is of a quality to take
production constraints into
consideration to develop the
solution that is most appropriate
for the scenario

Develops a single solution or mix
solution that would logically fill
project demand based on
required output for the
production line

Develops a single solution or mix
solution, but solution would not
logically fill project demand or is
not based on required output for
the production line

Does not develop a single or mix
solution for filling project
demand

5.7

Proposal: Profit
Potential

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
explanation of mix clearly details
the mix and the parameters that
make the mix optimal for the
case, so that explanation could
act as a recommendation for
company improvement

Determines and explains the
optimal mix of two of the
products from the case, given
analysis of costs and selling prices

Determines and explains a mix of
two products, but it is not the
optimal mix or is not based on
analysis of costs and selling price

Does not determine and explain a
mix of two products

5.7

Proposal Inventory
Levels

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
inventory levels identified for the
three products are logically
balanced between production,
sales, and cost considerations
over time

Determines inventory levels for
three products that would
potentially minimize costs while
considering production schedule
and sales projections

Determines inventory levels for
three products, but levels would
not minimize cost or do not
consider production schedule
and sales projections

Does not determine inventory
levels for three products

5.7

Proposal: Inventory
Management

Evaluation

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
discussion considers specific and
relevant metrics that are
calculated from the information
provided in the scenario

Accurately discusses the
effectiveness and efficiency of
inventory management processes
for three products from the
scenario, considering key metrics
used in logistics management

Discusses the effectiveness and
efficiency of inventory
management processes for three
products from the scenario, but
with gaps in accuracy or lacking
consideration of key metrics used
in logistics management

Does not discuss the
effectiveness and efficiency of
inventory management processes
for three products from the
scenario

5.7

Proposal: Planning
for Inventories

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
explanation is qualified with a
larger-context discussion about
the risks and benefits of NIS rates
and total lost sales that may
occur

Accurately calculates and
explains not-in-stock (NIS) rates
based on given production and
demand schedules for three
products

Calculates and explains not-in-
stock (NIS) rates, but not
accurately based on given
production and demand
schedules for three products

Does not calculate and explain
not-in-stock (NIS) rates for all
three products

5.7

Proposal: Just-in-
Time Inventory

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
calculation is of a quality to
account for risks and unexpected
changes

Accurately calculates JIT
inventory needs for a segment of
the production line for one day,
based on provided information

Calculates JIT inventory needs for
a segment of the production line
for one day, but used incorrect
technique, provided incorrect
answer, or used incorrect
information from scenario

Does not calculate JIT inventory
needs for a segment of the
production line for one day

5.7

Proposal: Physical
Distribution Process

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
process creation is sophisticated
and includes allocation of space
based on the movement
quantities of materials

Develops a focused physical
distribution process that
accurately details necessary
square footage of required
warehouse space for given
inventory levels

Develops a physical distribution
process that inaccurately details
necessary square footage of
required warehouse space for
given inventory levels, or process
lacks detail or focus

Does not develop a physical
distribution process that
identifies necessary square
footage

5.7

Proposal:
Warehousing
Effectiveness

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
evaluation is detailed enough to
provide a foundation for future
recommendations for
improvement

Accurately evaluates the
effectiveness of warehouse
operations by utilizing key
metrics

Evaluates the effectiveness of
warehouse operations, but is not
accurate, or does not use key
metrics successfully to determine
effectiveness

Does not evaluate the
effectiveness of warehouse
operations

5.7

Proposal: Shipping
Management

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
profiles accurately identify
lowest-cost shipping profiles for
customer demand

Develops a reasonable plan for
delivering finished goods to
customers that minimizes costs,
based on shipping requirements
provided

Develops a plan for delivering
finished goods to customers that
minimizes costs, but it is not
reasonable based on shipping
requirements provided

Does not develop a plan for
delivering finished goods to
customers that minimizes costs

5.7

Proposal:
Warehousing

Utilization

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
evaluation is detailed enough to
provide the foundation for future
recommendations for
improvements

Accurately determines the
effectiveness of warehouse
utilization for the required
inventory provided

Inaccurately determines the
effectiveness of warehouse
utilization for the required
inventory provided

Does not determine the
effectiveness of warehouse
utilization

5.7

Articulation of
Response

Submission is free of errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and organization
and is presented in a professional
and easy-to-read format

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

3.1

Total 100%