Unit 4 Assignment: Metrics and Quick Wins

The Understand phase is where you set yourselves up for success for the rest of the project. In addition to getting a good understanding of your process and the issues, you also create baselines for comparison using metrics (step 4). One other key tactic in this phase is to identify quick wins (step 9) to allow everyone to gain confidence and provide justification to continue with the project.

In this Assignment, you are going to evaluate a specific business process based on criteria detailed below. If you already have selected a business process, continue using that and skip to the next paragraph. If you have not yet selected the business process you will use for these Assignments, then begin by selecting one. E-mail your instructor and clearly describe the objective of this process, the participants, and the strategic significance for the company. The business process you select must have a clear beginning and an end, with identifiable, specific steps. Your instructor will confirm that the process you selected is suitable, or ask you to select another one.

You will first look at possible metrics that can be used in your process and then identify potential quick wins. Write a paper that answers the following questions (use the format below to organize your paper):

Part I- Metrics

For the first part of the Assignment, list three metrics that you think can help you quantify the performance of the selected business process currently. List and define the metrics clearly, explain why each metric is important in the assessment of the process and then give an example of the statistic units. For example, if your metric is “speed of processing” it may be defined by how quickly each employee audits a tax form, and the example would be that “on average you would expect 8 tax forms audited per hour.”

Part I – Metrics

Metric 1:

1.Definition

2.Significance in assessment

3.Example

Metric 2:

1.Definition

2.Significance in assessment

3.ExampleMetric 3:

1. Definition

2. Significance in assessment

3. Example

Part II – Quick wins

In the second part of the Assignment, identify two quick wins for your process. Describe what they are, how they can be accomplished quickly and why they will provide a boost to the project.

Part II – Quick wins

Quick win 1

Details

Quick win 2

Details

Directions for Submitting Your Assignment

Compose your Assignment as a Microsoft Word document and save it as Username-MT400 – Assignment-Unit#.docx (Example: TAllen-MT400 Assignment-Unit 4.docx). Submit your file by selecting the Unit 4: Assignment Dropbox by the end of Unit 4.

Grading note:In the grading rubric below, you will see a section on analysis and criticalthinking. The points in this section will partly be based on your ability to apply the concepts discussed in your Assignment to the specific circumstances and details of the process/organization you selected. Writing in general terms without applying the concepts and analyzing your specific project may get you points for content section, but you will lose points in the analysis section.

Review the grading rubric below before beginning this activity.

Assignment grading rubric = 60 points

Unit 4 Assignment: Metrics and Quick Wins

	Assignment Requirements	Points	Points Earned
		Possible	by Students

Content, Focus, Use of Text and Research:

Identified three metrics that can 0-12 be used in assessing the

process.

Identified two quick wins.

0-18

Analysis and Critical Thinking

	Responses demonstrated	0-18
	critical thinking and analysis
	and exhibited application of
	information.
	Spelling, Grammar, APA Format
	Clear business writing. Spelling	0-12
	and grammar are acceptable.
	Effective use of APA. Followed
	the required format and
	instructions.
	Total		0-60