WRITING ASSIGNMENT: SUMMATIVE ESSAY (MSM 6645)
QUALITY MANAGEMENT
The summative essay is an extension of your application essay. You have already identified a problem, conducted a SWOT analysis, described the affected process in detail, explored the context of the process using a diagnostic model (7-S or 6-Box), and suggested how to measure the effectiveness of a prospective change initiative to improve the process. The result is the start of a proposal for process improvement for your current organization or a prior one.* In this essay, you will complete the proposal by applying the criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) and invoking additional tools from the practice of organization change.
*Note: If your Week 6 essay differs from the description before the asterisk, you will need to rewrite it.
Standard Structural Components. Include a correctly formatted title page, executive summary, table of contents, body, reference section, and appropriate appendices.
Body Components from Application Essay. Re-save your application essay as your summative essay, and improve as necessary. Your essay should already have these sections: (a) introduction (no section header); (b) strategic considerations; (c) process steps; (d) process context; and (e) measurement. See below for how to reassess, update, and expand this last section.
New Sections to Insert:
After Introduction: (a) Statement of the Problem (logical description of the gap that you wish to address); and (b) Baldrige Framework (the first sixMBNQA criteria only)—what aspect of each Baldrige criterion is relevant to your case? Two concise sentences per criterion will suffice.
Before Measurement: (a) Summary of the Issues (based on SWOT and diagnostic model); (b) Recommendations (offer three suggestions for your organization to improve the selected process); (c) Implementation (briefly state how your organization should perform each step of the Kotter model); and (d) Quality Tools* (e.g., kaizen, lean, 5-S, Six Sigma, QFD, VSM, Ishikawa, Pareto).
*Note: PDSA and DMAIC are continuous-improvement processes, not quality tools.
Section to Update: Measurement. In light of additional thinking from the Baldrige Framework and Kotter’s model, define measures as follows: (a) Baseline or Benchmark to gauge progress*; (b) Measurement of Results (how to tell when you have fixed the problem); and (c) Measurement of Process Effectiveness (how to tell whether your continuous-improvement process is correct).
*Note: A baseline is a starting measure, before a change. A benchmark is a comparison measure from an outside organization or quality standard. A continuous-improvement process may be effective even if results fail to materialize, so we must take care to observe this distinction in our measures.
New Section to Add after Measurement: Conclusions. Reiterate the initial aim of the essay, and note a few implications for the organization (i.e., likely benefits of this change initiative).
Standards. See the posted APA-styled sample for title page, page numbering, executive summary, table of contents, section formatting, and references. Use appendices (not the body) for tables, graphs, or bulleted lists. Minimum length is 2,000 words, from introduction to end of conclusion, excluding section headers and quoted or parenthetical content. Cite at least the textbook and six qualifying sources based on the criteria listed in the syllabus. Proofread your work!
To amend your essay (before the deadline), type “AMENDED SUBMISSION” at the top of the new version.
