Process Optimization

Get ready to enter the professional world, because you will spend two days a week working at a company in or near Zwolle! This company will provide a complex problem and situation. You will be part of a small group of students actively engaging in tackling this problem. In the past, students have completed projects for companies such as Scania, Unilever, Abbott, Ola, Bosch and Nefit. 

The main goal of the project is to assess the quality of a business process. You and your team will use Lean/Six Sigma to come up with improvements in a structured way and to implement these in an existing organization. The other subjects that are part of this programme provide the training and knowledge you need to turn your project into a success.

In the course Change Agent we focus on which interventions are needed to involve people in the change process. You learn to analyze the change process and designs interventions to make the change happen. Next to designing interventions we also take a closer look at the role of being a Change Agent in continuously changing organizations.

Many organizations run numerous improvement projects. These ambitious projects tend to tie up people for considerable amounts of time, on top of their normal tasks. 
Each individual project assesses a current problem within the organization as a whole. The question is, is there also improvement in the bottom-line performance of the organization after completing a project? If there is no process to address the constraint in the organization, there is also no focus which areas should be addressed. In this course you will learn to set up a process to address the restrictions within the organization and increase the performance of an organization as a whole. 

Course content

• The course starts with a LEGO game to make clear how Lean Management works.
• You will achieve a more advanced knowledge of Kaizen, Lean and Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM).
• Maturity models are used to gain insight when best to apply which method.
• Beside topics as Training Within Industry (TWI) and Value Stream Mapping (VSM), we will also address organizational challenges when implementing continuous improvement systems.

During the Simulation module, you will learn how to use simulation study for logistical purposes. After this course, you will be able to recognize when simulation can be used as a tool for decision-making, especially for logistical problems in a manufacturing environment. You will also be able to use the software Enterprise Dynamics, make simple calculations as a means of validating a simulation study and to interpret and analyze the results from a simulation study.

Through lectures and seminars, you will get to know the Six Sigma methodology (Design, Measure, Analyse, Implement, Control, or DMAIC) as a tool for improving processes. You participate in a workshop Design of Experiments by Abbott and get the opportunity to achieve a Six Sigma Green Belt certificate (€ 50). 

Complete your exchange semester or year by taking one or two cross-departmental modules. You will receive ECTS credits when you complete a module successfully.

• Behavioural Change in Organizations
• Cambridge English B2 or C1
• Drama and Improvisation
• Dutch Language
• Dutch Society
• Economic Mindsets
• Innovation Research Competences for Urban Development  
• Intercultural Awareness
• Personal Leadership (7 Habits)

Want to know more about the exchange programme of Process Optimization? Check the course catalogue for more information about matters such as assessment and teaching methods. 

Read the course catalogue