Organisational Analysis The purpose of this part of the assignment is to assess your skill in analysing the performance: Operations and Project Management Assignment, UOH, UK

 Part 1: Organisational Analysis The purpose of this part of the assignment is to assess your skill in analysing the performance of an organizational system. It will develop your understanding of systems of operations and project management within practical contexts and how they contribute to organizational performance. In preparation for this you must identify an organisation to be analysed. A good choice will include a clearly identifiable system which can be easily characterised in terms of its performance. It might also present a problem(s) which, if solved, will result in a quantifiable improvement to the performance of the organisation. This may be the organisation that you work within or another that you are particularly interested in. The key thing is that you are able to gain access to information about it. Your objective is to carry out an analysis of your chosen organisation's performance. In doing this you must demonstrate your understanding of how it works from a practical point of view and also demonstrate understanding of selected (for relevance) pieces of the class material and how these can be used to characterise the organisation. The analysis might include:

A rationale that positions the organisational system on the Hayes and Wheelwright ‘4 stage’ model. A critique of its performance from the (external) customer’s point of view, this may include elements such as operational/project delivery performance or any other relevant performance measure. A critique of its performance from the (internal) management point of view, this may include operational/project process efficiency, or any other relevant performance measure. An explanation of the operational and project-based problems within the organisation. Proposals to improve the organisation's performance. In addition to full adherence to proper academic practice a good assignment will demonstrate: Confident and skilful writing. Strong analytical ability. A strong grasp of the class material. The ability to select and apply the most appropriate tools and methods from the class material. Some exploration of the subject beyond the core class text-book(s). Deep understanding of the activity of the chosen organization. In contrast a poor assignment would: Be difficult to read and interpret. Contain only a descriptive account of the company. Rely only on the basic material covered in the class. Demonstrate poor judgement in the use of tools and methodologies from the class.

 Demonstrate no further reading beyond the class material. This is a very broad assignment brief that provides you the scope to approach it in a number of ways. The key thing is that you demonstrate the ability to investigate an organisation, analyse it by application of tools and methodologies and communicate the results in a clear and concise way. Requirements: Word count: 2,300-2,500 (not including diagrams, tables, references or appendices). Executive summary/abstract is not required. Referenced in the Harvard style. Note: there are a number of ways to structure your report, the key point is that you structure it in a way that tells the ‘story’ in the clearest way possible while adhering to academic convention.

 Part 2: Reflective Log The purpose of this part of the assignment is to assess your skill in discussing aspects of organisational theory. I want you to reflect on a discussion in class that you initiated, this may have been with me, as part of the main sessions, or with other group members as part of the group discussions. Explain why the subject that you raised was interesting to you and reflect on what you learned during the subsequent discussion. A good reflective assignment will demonstrate: Confident and skilful writing. Evidence of reflective insight. A clear and specific explanation of your area of interest, in other words, why you initiated the discussion. A clear and specific explanation of what you learned during the discussion. In contrast a poor reflective assignment would: Be difficult to read and interpret. Contain no clear reflective insights. Contain a vague narrative. Contain no clear learning points. Requirements: Word count: 400-500 words; There is no need to cite any other sources, this section should contain only your reflective thoughts.