Your final assessment in Operations Management is a 4,000-word report based on a
case study: Northwestern Memorial Hospital: Smoothing Material Flow Through the
Receiving Area, available in Moodle. You should use the case study as a basis for
your analysis and find updated sources to expand upon your analysis.
This report will count for 90% of your module grade. The remaining 10% are the
end-of-unit quizzes.
In this assignment, you are required to submit an individual report based on a case
study scenario. The case study identifies challenges associated with material flow and
inventory. It can best be understood by applying the principles of operations
management, as introduced in the module.
Your task is to:
1. Produce a problem statement
2. Explain how the receiving area was a significant bottleneck in the hospital’s
internal flow.
3. Discuss problems caused by the average 3-day lead time variability and
average lead time to one day would eliminate most of these problems.
4. Explain how the receiving area approach to handling packages was “batch
oriented” and how it fostered processing and delivery problems, process
variability and the average three-day lead time. First, consider what “batchoriented” means in this context. How is the process “batch oriented”? Explain
how a single-piece flow would reduce lead time and associated problems. What
does single-piece flow mean in this context?
5. Suggest concrete ways to modify the receiving value stream map to move it
toward single-piece flow. Consider changes to the receiving area (Exhibit 2)
and the facility layout (Exhibit 5)
A recommended structure for your report follows. You can depart from these
recommendations if you wish, but structure your report logically, and cover all
requested elements. Use numbered sections with decimals for subsections.
Ideally, your report will include the following:
• An introduction to the report, stating its purpose and the problem statement.
• The development of the report covering points 2-5
• A conclusion summarising the key learning points and SMART
recommendations.
• Add an APA 7 reference list. Ideally, you will have cited 15+ sources within
the text. Use at least 10 academic sources (journal articles). This section does
not count towards your word limit for the assignment.
