About this course: In this course you will focus on process improvement. You will learn how to set organizational priorities for continuous process improvement, how to execute process improvement projects, and how to sustain the initiative for continuous improvements. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: • Understand the roles of process improvement • Relate underlying principles to frameworks and techniques used for process improvement • Synthesize information to make decisions for organizational initiatives and process improvement • Apply analytical techniques for tactical decisions in a process improvement project This course is part of the iMBA offered by the University of Illinois, a flexible, fully-accredited online MBA at an incredibly competitive price. For more information, please see the Resource page in this course and onlinemba.illinois.edu.

Earn credit toward a master's degree

This course is part of the fully-online accredited Master of Business Administration (iMBA) from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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Created by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Taught by: Gopesh Anand, Associate Professor of Business Administration
Department of Business Administration, College of Business

Basic Info	Course 4 of 7 in the Value Chain Management Specialization
Commitment	4 weeks of study, 6-8 hours/week
Language	English
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.5 stars Average User Rating 4.5See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Course Overview

In this module, you will become familiar with the course, your instructor, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation also helps you obtain the technical skills required for the course.

2 videos, 5 readings, 1 practice quiz

Video: Welcome to Process Improvement!
Video: Meet Your Instructor
Reading: Syllabus
Reading: About this Course: Ratings and Reviews
Reading: About the Discussion Forums
Reading: Social Media
Reading: Getting to Know Your Classmates
Practice Quiz: Orientation Quiz

Module 1: Fundamentals of Continuous Improvement

Module 1 connects process improvement to organizational learning and lays the groundwork for putting together an organizational initiative for continuous improvement. It introduces you to the principles and methodologies of Lean and Six Sigma as two initiatives for continuous improvement of processes.

10 videos, 3 readings, 2 practice quizzes

Reading: Module 1 Overview
Reading: Module 1 Readings
Video: Lesson Objectives
Video: Organizational Learning
Video: Elements of Continuous Improvement Initiatives
Video: Lesson 1-1 Recap
Practice Quiz: Lesson 1-1 Practice Quiz
Video: Lesson Objectives
Video: Origin of Lean
Video: Philosophy of Lean
Video: Origin of Six Sigma
Video: Philosophy of Six Sigma
Video: Lesson 1-2 Recap
Practice Quiz: Lesson 1-2 Practice Quiz
Peer Review: Module 1 Assignment 1 (optional ungraded)
Reading: Module 1 Assignment 2 Solution

Graded: Module 1 Graded Quiz

Graded: Module 1 Assignment 2

WEEK 2

Module 2: Managing the Continuous Improvement Initiative

Module 2 presents the organizational infrastructure needed for managing Lean and Six Sigma process improvement initiatives and describes techniques for aligning business strategy with continuous improvement. In this module, you will also learn about value stream maps and project charters as techniques for getting started with process improvement projects.

11 videos, 3 readings, 2 practice quizzes

Reading: Module 2 Overview
Reading: Module 2 Readings
Video: Lesson Objectives
Video: Roles and Responsibilities
Video: Strategy Deployment
Video: Project Selection and Execution
Video: Lesson Recap
Practice Quiz: Lesson 2-1 Practice Quiz
Video: Lesson Objectives
Video: Starting a Lean Project
Video: Value Stream Mapping Part 1
Video: Value Stream Mapping Part 2
Video: Starting a Six Sigma Project
Video: Lesson Recap
Practice Quiz: Lesson 2-2 Practice Quiz
Reading: Module 2 Assignment Solution

Graded: Module 2 Graded Quiz

Graded: Module 2 Assignment

WEEK 3

Module 3: Root Cause Analysis

Module 3 focuses on methods to study cause-effect relationships for process improvement. In this module, you will learn about the importance of assessing quality of measurements, followed by ways to synthesize knowledge of team members and methods to analyze numerical data. This module includes an overview of the Standard Normal Distribution and descriptions of statistical process control, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple linear regression.

16 videos, 4 readings, 2 practice quizzes

Reading: Module 3 Overview
Reading: Module 3 Readings
Video: Lesson Objectives
Video: Data, and the Normal Distribution
Video: Diagnosis of Measurements
Video: Lesson Recap
Practice Quiz: Lesson 3-1 Practice Quiz
Video: Lesson Objectives
Video: Statistical Process Control
Video: Attribute Data Control Charts - Proportion Data
Video: Attribute Data Control Charts - Count Data
Video: Variable Data Control Charts
Video: Process Capability
Video: Lesson Recap
Video: Lesson Objectives
Video: Identifying Potential Causes
Video: Cause Effect Analysis Using ANOVA
Video: Cause Effect Analysis Using Regression
Video: Lesson Recap
Practice Quiz: Lesson 3-2 Practice Quiz
Reading: Module 3 Assignment 1 Solution
Reading: Module 3 Assignment 2 Solution

Graded: Module 3 Graded Quiz

Graded: Module 3 Assignment 1

Graded: Module 3 Assignment 2

WEEK 4

Module 4: Achieving and Sustaining Improvements

Module 4 introduces techniques for making and sustaining changes in processes and illustrates the implementation of Lean as a process improvement initiative in a financial services company. As a closing of this course, you will be presented with an overarching theoretical perspective of knowledge creation that explains the continuing cycles of process improvement.

10 videos, 2 readings, 3 practice quizzes

Reading: Module 4 Overview
Reading: Module 4 Readings
Video: Lesson Objectives
Video: Techniques
Video: 5S
Video: Confirming Process Improvements
Video: Lesson 4-1 Recap
Practice Quiz: Lesson 4-1 Practice Quiz
Video: Lesson Objectives
Video: Leadership for Continuous Improvement
Video: Illustration of Lean Implementation
Video: Cycles of Knowledge Creation
Video: Lesson 4-2 Recap
Practice Quiz: Lesson 4-2 Practice Quiz
Practice Quiz: Module 4 Additional Practice Quiz

Course Conclusion

1 video

Video: Course Recap

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a world leader in research, teaching and public engagement, distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty and alumni. Illinois serves the world by creating knowledge, preparing students for lives of impact, and finding solutions to critical societal needs.

Pricing

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Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.5 out of 5 of 172 ratings

Nicely done. Thank you. This course gives great insight and lends a stepping stone to 6 Sigma and Lean.

Excellent!!!

Excellent Course

A very nice course from Illinois University with a precious lecturer Gopesh Anand I learned a lot of manuals from him and his slides will always show me the way in future if I get confused about Process Improvement.