Advances in Project Logistics and Operations

Module Details

Assessment Task Details and Instructions

You are the Operations Manager of a company in one of the 3 sectors within the case project. Your company is interested in the project output and your strategic director has asked you to assess how to aim to plan and control the implementation in your business.

Project Information

You are the project director of a software development company, and your team has won a UK government bid to work with manufacturers in Aerospace, Rail and Automotive to create a software application to improve UK cross-sector manufacturing collaboration and overall efficiency.

You must work with multiple sectors and their stakeholders to create a solution that has three main outputs:

• A digital tool that will enable potential participating businesses to collaborate and share data. The tool should allow for cross-sector Small Medium Enterprise (SMEs) supply-chain collaboration. Functions should include the capture, consolidation and visualisation of supply-chain data from different companies.
• An App that will drive SME engagement and incentivise users to maintain profile data, connect with other network users and drive collaboration enabling organisations to share news posts, or company specific updates, capture survey/questionnaire data (e.g Linkedin or similar).
• A diagram (cross sector taxonomy) that shows the shared characteristics between the sectors)

It us recommended that the app would utilise Machine Learning based on the taxonomy diagram that will optimise user experience & post relevance. The incorporation of AI should automatically recommend areas for collaborative work.

Background

There is an immediate need for granular supply-chain intelligence and proactive risk mitigation through collaboration and focused intervention, to prevent UK aerospace, automotive and other SMEs from getting into unrecoverable financial difficulties.

Following the recent COVID-19 pandemic / War in Ukraine & Middle East, combined with drastic policy changes because of BREXIT, the Aerospace, Rail and Automotive sectors identified over-reliance on overseas supply-chains, emphasising need for onshoring and establishing localised ecosystems which will protect UK jobs and reduce carbon footprint.

COVID-19 decimated these sectors and there is now a government requirement to protect skilled jobs and the future of supply-chains by accelerating cross-sector collaboration with other manufacturing sectors such as Rail and Logistics.

To mitigate these impacts, UK aero/auto manufacturing businesses can no longer work in silos and compete as individual organisations. Instead, they must connect and collaborate with customers and suppliers so that they can compete as integrated, cross-sector manufacturing ecosystems, which enables organisations to focus on core competences, benefit from economies-of-scale and share knowledge with the overall aim of:

• Reduction of transport carbon footprint
• Onshoring Manufacturing Supply
• Providing UK companies and the government with industry data to focus policy and support, ensuring UK taxpayer`s money deployed most effectively.

The project will address significant barriers that inhibit growth of these cross-sector manufacturing ecosystems, such as supply-chain transparency, data and security.
There is currently a lack of digitalised infrastructure to streamline the capture analysis of big data.

This could be achieved by developing a cross-sector supply-chain collaboration tool that will enable companies to work together and share performance data. The proposed tool solutions will be established within an app-store that will incentivise users to maintain data. For example, profile data and allow connectivity with other network users to drive collaboration. This could be underpinned by AI to optimise sourcing and supplier selection decisions.

The project should also generate a cross-sector classification taxonomy which classifies companies, into groups based on similar production processes, products and behaviours.
That underpins the matchmaking AI, automatically recommending connections for work-packages, tenders and suggest innovation partners, new customers/suppliers based on interests and company profiles.

The overall aim is to improve supply chain visibility of UK Aerospace and Automotive supply-chains reducing sub-tier risks, increase onshoring opportunities and connecting suppliers with more opportunities such as Rail, sustainable transport and renewable energy supply-chains.

Total budget: £500,000 (Funded by the UK Government)
Duration: 12 Months

Your task:

Based on the above information you will need to develop a report (up to 3,000 words), detailing the strategic plans of your organisation and how you aim to control implementation of a new planning system.

Select an organization within one of the key sectors and critically analyse its operational system including the strategy, operations, performance objectives and how this gives the company its strategic advantage (1000 Words)

Critically analyse how the organisation used process technology to manage the impacts of Brexit / Covid / (or other recent global events) and how successful / impactful this was on the firm’s strategy. (500 Words)

Analyse how the case project system and its information, AI and advanced technology can be implemented within the organization to align with its day-to-day operations, long-term goals and evaluate how well these systems can control and improve supply chain decision-making, resource allocation, and performance within the organization. You should take care to discuss how these improvements can contribute to the organization’s long-term sustainability and competitive advantage (1000 Words)

Discuss the significance of the cross-sector collaboration and the taxonomy in enhancing the companies supply chain performance and how this supports the organisations strategy. (500 Words)

Report Structure

• Title Page
• Abstract / Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Main Body
• Recommendations / Conclusions
• References

The report should also be page numbered. Please note if you are uncertain on how to present and structure a report then visit the university library and ask for assistance.
While you must be explicit about the theories, models, techniques etc. that you use, you can assume that the reader is familiar with them. What the reader requires is evidence of your ability to understand and apply the theory and learn from to support the development of your findings and/or ideas.

You must cite all sources on which you have relied, for example textbooks, journal articles, web pages etc. using the APA 7th (Harvard) Style system. If you do not cite all sources, then you may be accused of plagiarism, and that may endanger your success in passing the module. If you are in any doubt about how to reference your work, please obtain guidance from the library and/or your academic librarian(s) for this module.

Marking Criteria

Knowledge and Understanding

Assessed intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge and understanding of key challenges within the future of global operations.

2. Apply a range of strategic and systems thinking activities to contribute to sustainable global operations.

3. Make decisions in complex situations using advances in operations and logistics to strategically solve operations management problems.

Employability Skills Developed/Demonstrated

You will develop a range of employability skills sought by employers through each assessment. Through this assessment will have an opportunity to develop and demonstrate the following employability skills:

I = You will have been introduced to this skill
U = You will have developed an understanding of this skill in the context of your subject
A = You will be able to apply this skill in the context of your subject
D = You will have demonstrated an enhanced understanding and application of this skill in a wider context

Word Count

The report should be up to 3,000 words. Your word count is from the introduction to conclusion sections. Therefore, it does not include title page, contents page, reference section, appendices etc. If the assignment exceeds these limits; the work in excess of 3,000 will not be marked.

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

What is the Managing Project Deployment and Delivery 63468 assignment about?

This assignment focuses on managing the deployment and delivery of a government-sponsored project that enhances collaboration across the aerospace, rail, and automotive manufacturing sectors. It involves developing strategic operational plans, integrating AI technologies, and improving supply chain visibility in the UK.

What are the three key outputs expected from the project?

The project aims to deliver a digital collaboration tool for SMEs, an engagement-driven mobile app, and a cross-sector taxonomy diagram to facilitate matchmaking between businesses based on production similarities.

Which sectors are involved in the Managing Project Deployment and Delivery project?

The sectors involved include Aerospace, Rail, and Automotive industries. The project encourages cross-sector collaboration to strengthen UK manufacturing supply chains and reduce reliance on overseas suppliers.