Course Outline
The course duration is 6 months. The programme is delivered in a blended format, with online lectures during the week. Saturday lectures are a blend of classroom and online. (ECTS: 25 Credits)
Module 1: Operational Excellence - Lean thinking
Provides an overview of the fundamentals of organisational success, the concept of value, quality and waste in the business environment. Learners develop their knowledge of the concept and principles of lean thinking, value stream mapping and process
mapping. The module introduces the learner to the range of lean tools utilised in waste elimination, such as 5S; SMED; Kanban; Kaizen; error-proofing and level loading. The module also discusses the importance and impact of culture on the lean
transformation journey.
Module 2: Operational Excellence - Six Sigma
Introduces the learner to the fundamentals of six-sigma as a method to reduce variation and understand root cause. Understanding the importance and validity of quality data is critical to any improvement strategy, hence the module also covers fundamentals
of data integrity, measurement systems analysis, statistics, quality tools, cause and effect, FMEA, solution development and control strategies. The module also introduces the learner to the creative problem-solving tool TRIZ and the importance
of blue-sky thinking and transdisciplinarity. Finally, the module provides an overview of a typical Corrective Action Preventative Action (CAPA) process, based on the DMAIC methodology, introducing the learners to risk identification and risk
assessment.
Module 8: Digital Communication & Technical Reporting
Introduce learners to the discipline of technical communication. Acquiring technical writing skills is essential in workplace contexts where process digitisation is occurring, as it enables personnel to accurately communicate thoughts, ideas, information,
and messages in writing; and create documents such as letters, directions, specifications, manuals, reports, presentations, graphs, flow charts, etc. Preparation of visuals to supplement the text, workplace communication, descriptions of mechanisms,
explanations of processes, and writing reports are the major topics included.