Improving the quality of process reference models: A quality function deployment-based approach

Little academic work exists on managing reference model development and measuring reference model quality, yet there is a clear need for higher quality reference models. We address this gap by developing a quality management and measurement instrument. The foundation for the instrument is the well-known Quality Function Deployment (QFD) approach. The QFD-based approach incorporates prior research on reference model requirements and development approaches. Initial evaluation of the instrument is carried out with a case study of a logistic reference process. The case study reveals that the instrument is a valuable tool for the management and estimation of reference model quality

Translating customer service expectations into supporting business processes

Over the last few years, there has been tremendous growth in the diversity of products and services offered to customers across all industries. With this increased choice of products and services, the bargaining power of buyers is rising. The products and services offered by the different companies do not vary much, regardless of which companies are selling them. Customers are in the position where they can choose from an array of products and services from more than one company. This shift of power from company to customer forces companies to focus on customer retention and loyalty through improved customer experience. The dissertation introduces a framework for enhancing customer experience through improved business processes. The Enhanced Customer Experience Framework (ECEF) is developed by integrating various well known techniques into one comprehensive framework. As long as fifty years ago, researchers found it neccesary to design techniques that can assist companies in taking care of frustrated and unsatisfied customers. Many of these techniques had merit, and partly succeeded in increasing customer satisfaction. One of these techniques was developed in 1966 by Dr Yoji Akao, with the goal of integrating the voice of the customer into the technical design of products and services. Today this tool is known as Quality Function Deployment (QFD). QFD is used extensively in the ECEF to determine the relationship beween business processes and customer requirements, and to prioritise business processes from a customer perspective. Another technique or methodology is Business Process Reengineering (BPR), developed in 1990. The methodology of BPR – together with the steps associated with benchmarking –provides a useful process that may be followed when reengineering business processes to fit customer needs. The last technique that is integrated into the ECEF is simulation modelling, which can be used to test the impact of process improvements on customer experience. The ECEF consists of seven stages, with sequential activities taking place in every stage. The Framework developed in this dissertation is partially validated against empirical data obtained from the telecommunications industry. In South Africa the telecommunications industry is faced with the threat of new entrants as one of the largest competitive forces. In 2001 a third Telecommunications Company was introduced in South Africa and the market share that always belonged to only two companies was redistributed between three companies. For all three companies to be competitive, they had to invest in delivering quality service to customers. The ECEF may assist managers in enhancing the quality of their service delivery. By designing business processes to deliver products and services according to the needs of the customer, companies will be able to enjoy the strategic competitive advantage of customer loyalty.Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Industrial and Systems Engineeringunrestricte

Rethinking the risk matrix

So far risk has been mostly defined as the expected value of a loss, mathematically PL (being P the probability of an adverse event and L the loss incurred as a consequence of the adverse event). The so called risk matrix follows from such definition. This definition of risk is justified in a long term “managerial” perspective, in which it is conceivable to distribute the effects of an adverse event on a large number of subjects or a large number of recurrences. In other words, this definition is mostly justified on frequentist terms. Moreover, according to this definition, in two extreme situations (high-probability/low-consequence and low-probability/high-consequence), the estimated risk is low. This logic is against the principles of sustainability and continuous improvement, which should impose instead both a continuous search for lower probabilities of adverse events (higher and higher reliability) and a continuous search for lower impact of adverse events (in accordance with the fail-safe principle). In this work a different definition of risk is proposed, which stems from the idea of safeguard: (1Risk)=(1P)(1L). According to this definition, the risk levels can be considered low only when both the probability of the adverse event and the loss are small. Such perspective, in which the calculation of safeguard is privileged to the calculation of risk, would possibly avoid exposing the Society to catastrophic consequences, sometimes due to wrong or oversimplified use of probabilistic models. Therefore, it can be seen as the citizen’s perspective to the definition of risk

Sheikh Daudal-Fatani as scholar in Malay Archipelago: overview on his writings

This paper explores the biography of Sheikh Daud al-Fatani, one of the most famous and prolific authors among Muslims in South East Asia. He produced writings in Madhhab Shafi’i in the Malay World during the nineteenth-century. This paper discusses his background as well as the lineage of his descendants. In addition, it discusses various opinions about the date of his birth, the place he was born and the date of his death. The paper also explores his education and his teachers, and emphasizes his contribution in producing kitab and other writings that have had a huge impact on the religious education of Muslims in this region of the Malay World. To achieve the article’s objectives, content analysis method was applied to the Sheikh Daud’s writing

Development Of Integrated Lean Six Sigma Model For Small And Medium Enterprise

Management systems have been developed to guide manufacturers to continuously improve performance in the aspects of quality, cost and delivery. The latest developed management system, Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is an integration of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma. Various LSS models have been developed and implemented in different industries with positive and strong evidences. However, literature on developing and implementing LSS models in Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) is scant due to size-related management and resource constraints. This research develop a LSS model named Integrated Lean and Six Sigma tools in DMAIC (ILSSD) model to take into consideration these constraints in the selection of techniques and tools for continuous improvement. The model derives continuous improvement goals from a company’s mission and vision. The ILSSD model consist of DMAIC methodology and proposed collaborated usage of Lean and Six Sigma tools which is not heavy in statistical analysis namely Value Stream Map, Pareto Analysis, Cause and Effect Diagram, Interrelationship Diagram and Tree Diagram. Various data collection techniques were also introduced. The ILSSD model was structured to be data driven so that it provides a decision support system with sound analysis. The practicality of ILSSD was validated in an SME label printing company and SME semiconductor company in Penang. The results of implementation are 18.42% reduction in setup time in label printing company and 92.8% reduction in waiting time in semiconductor company. The research has achieved its objectives

A multiple perspective approach to information system quality

The motivation for this research is a concern with the high rate of informationsystem failures reported in the academic literature and in practitioner publications. Itis proposed that the adoption of the customer-centred ideals and methods of qualitymanagement in information system development will increase the likelihood of thedelivery of successful information systems. The approach taken in the research is towork with the ideas of multiple perspectives - organizational effectiveness, work-lifequality, and technical artefact quality - and multiple stakeholders.The research approach is to use action research. The fieldwork comprisesthree phases. The first phase involved interviewing system developers and thesecond phase consisted of two case studies of implemented information systems.This preliminary analysis, together with a theoretical investigation of the foundationsof quality, was used to inform the development of a quality approach to informationsystem development. The information system development methodology (ISDM) isbased upon Multiview, a multiple perspective approach to information systemdevelopment, and the total quality management method used is quality functiondeployment. The resultant hybrid methodology is known as ISDM/Q.The ISDM/Q is tested using action research on a live system developmentproject concerned with the development of a wind tunnel control and data collectionsystem. Extensive organizational analysis was conducted to place this softwaredevelopment within a wider organizational context, involving quality requirementsworkshops and quality planning. The outcomes of the research are assessed in termsof the learning recorded with respect to the framework of ideas, the methodology(ISDM/Q) and the domain in which the action research took place. The field workshowed that there were benefits to using a quality metaphor in information systemdevelopment but that this would require a significant change in the culture and styleof information system development organizations. A practical contribution of theresearch is the development of quality function deployment for information systemdevelopment

Customer satisfaction within education – the application of an integrated curriculum design method

The post-16 stage of education is critical in securing and developing people entering engineering professions and related occupations. Engineering employers and employees alike have however highlighted problems regarding poorly designed curricula failing to prepare employees for industrial and commercial roles. The premise of this thesis is that the issue confronting education is one of quality management. Curriculum designers must know how to anticipate and understand customer requirements and practically translate these requirements into a deliverable curriculum package. The aim of this research is to realise the synergy of curriculum design and TQM by developing a theoretical integrated curriculum design method. Synergies between TQM and traditional curriculum design methods are investigated and an integrated curriculum design method based on the use of PDCA and incorporating a two-phase modified use of QFD is hypothesised and justified. Subsequently, application of the curriculum design method is completed in relation to a number of selected engineering companies within the South Wales region and an appropriate curriculum proposal, for the provision of engineering education within the 16-18 year age group is produced. The proposal has been constructed with characteristics complementary to the competencies required by these companies and incorporates the most suitable teaching, learning and assessment methods to maximise the development of the students. This is valuable information for those concerned

IT-business strategic alignment in the context of business process reengineering : case studies of large organisations in Lesotho.

Master of Commerce in Information Ssytems and Technology. University KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2018.The alignment of IT strategy and business strategy is an ongoing topic of interest for many researchers. In the same light is Business Process Re-engineering (BPR). The existing literature considers these two topics separately in the context of developed countries. This study taps into this gap by investigating how IT-business alignment at a strategic level can be achieved in BPR by considering the influential factors that drive this alignment in large organisations in Lesotho. The study empirically builds on centrally placing IT-business strategic alignment at the heart of BPR. Consequently, the findings show that IT-business alignment plays a pivotal role in the success or failure of a BPR project. New directions for future studies are suggested and discussed