This module has two parts that work together: a team Project and four Core Topics. In the project, you will analyze a real business setting, prepare clean operational data, and build an Excel plus VBA simulation to test improvement ideas under uncertainty. You will present results with an interactive dashboard and a concise advisory report for a managerial audience. In the core topics, you will learn the essentials of the IEM program, then apply that knowledge directly in the project.
Content
Project
The project challenges students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the module to a realistic business case within the field of Industrial Engineering and Management. Working in teams, students analyze an organizational context, identify an operational problem, and develop a data-driven solution to address it.
The project follows the design cycle: Introduction, Analysis, Design, Implementation, and Evaluation. Students begin by analyzing the organizational structure and context to understand where the problem is situated. They then prepare and structure operational data, including cleaning, formatting, and defining relevant performance indicators. Through activity profiling, they examine the behavior of key processes to identify opportunities for improvement. Next, students design and implement a Monte Carlo simulation using Excel and VBA. This model enables them to evaluate the performance of different strategies under uncertainty and to generate performance metrics across multiple scenarios. Finally, students present their findings through an interactive dashboard that enables scenario analysis and supports decision-making. Their results and recommendations are documented in a concise, professional advisory report tailored to a managerial audience.
The project integrates quantitative modeling, critical thinking, and professional communication. It emphasizes working systematically from problem formulation to scenario-based recommendations for managerial decision-making.
Core Topics
The core topics provide foundational knowledge in four disciplines that are essential to Industrial Engineering and Management. These are:
- Production Management
- Information Management
- Supply Chain Management & Sourcing
- Financial Management
The knowledge developed through the core topics is directly applied in the project and forms the theoretical basis for the broader IEM curriculum. The emphasis is on learning how to systematically analyze problems and evaluate integrated solutions rather than relying on intuition or isolated techniques.
Aims
By the end of this project, students will be able to:
Project
- Analyze an organization and define a core business challenge in the IEM domain.
- Prepare and structure operational data and define relevant KPIs to measure performance.
- Develop a quantitative simulation model to evaluate alternative strategies under uncertainty.
- Design a dashboard interface that supports interactive decision-making and scenario analysis.
- Communicate conclusions and recommendations in a professional management report.
Core Topics
- Production Management
- Describe the basic concepts of production and operations management, including operational excellence paradigms.
- Outline major historical developments in manufacturing planning and control since the Industrial Revolution.
- Identify and interpret production-related problems from a case description.
- Information Management
- Describe the role of IT technologies in supporting business processes.
- Explain how business information systems contribute to the execution of business processes.
- Analyze and model a new or improved business process using the Business Model Canvas and enterprise architecture.
- Describe the architectural tiers of business information systems and design basic user interfaces, application logic, and database schemas.
- Supply Chain Management & Sourcing
- Describe the scope and terminology of supply chain management and sourcing.
- Explain the bullwhip effect and identify its causes.
- Describe how information sharing, technology, and organizational practices can reduce or prevent the bullwhip effect.
- Represent a supply chain in terms of its structure, dependencies, and key actors based on a simplified case.
- Evaluate supply chain decisions and recommend actions to mitigate the bullwhip effect.
- Financial Management
- Perform basic financial analyses relevant to business decision-making.
- Explain the principles and challenges associated with business valuation.
- Evaluate investment options from a managerial and investor perspective and reflect critically on investment advice.
Assessment
The course is assessed through a combination of Pass/Fail group assignments and a final graded project deliverable. These assignments cover both the core topics and the project. Together, they form the basis for the final dashboard and advisory report. The assessment components are shown in the table below.
Course Passing Criteria
To pass the course, your group must:
- Pass all preliminary core topics and project assignments (a pass is a score of 5.5 or higher).
- Achieve at least a 5.5 on the final project deliverable.
Repair Policy
- A repair is allowed for any failed assignment.
- Repairs must be submitted within one week of feedback.
- Failing a repair means failing the entire course for all group members. The course must then be retaken next year.
If you face problems in a project group, such as some members not contributing enough, which could lead to the project’s failure, contact your tutor to help resolve the issues. The tutor will then inform the coordinator about the situation so that a fair solution can be put in place.