School of Business
Department of Supply Chain and Business Technology Management
Production and Operations Management
COMM 225 (credits 3)
Fall 2024

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is an introduction to contemporary operational issues and techniques in the manufacturing and service sectors. Among the topics covered are: operations strategy, forecasting, materials’ management, total quality management, time-based competition, and minimal manufacturing. Mathematical modeling in resource allocation is also introduced. Cases and computer-aided quantitative tools for decision-making are used throughout the course with an emphasis on the interactions between production/operations management and other business disciplines.
Prerequisites: COMM 210, COMM 212, and COMM 215
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Operations are the core of every business. Successful implementation of any business strategy cannot be achieved without the proper execution of operations. Global and local companies that are experiencing a surge in market share owe this success among other things, to their excellence in managing operations. This course considers operations from a managerial perspective and introduces the basic Operations Management (OM) tools. It focuses on quantitative analysis of various OM functions. At the end of the course, students will understand the various operation functions and their importance in organizations in particular and the global economy in general. This course will help the student achieve the following learning objectives:
Acquire basic knowledge of the OM including terminologies, tools, concepts, and techniques.
Apply OM concepts and methodologies to specific situations.
Apply evidence-based approaches to decision-making.
Analyze elements of manufacturing and service organizations to solve problems and make decisions.
Use computer technology to aid in making better decisions.
Understand OM issues in organizations and the role of supply chain managers and logistics professionals in the global economy.
REFERENCE BOOKS (Optional)
Operations Management, Eighth Canadian Edition by STEVENSION, Mottaghi, AND Bakhtiari. Published by McGraw–Hill. ISBN 10-1-26-485587-7
COURSE SCHEDULE
Session
Topics
Chapter

of Lectures

Activity
1
Introduction to Operation Management
Chapters 1 and 2
Theoretical concepts only
1

Problem-solving,
Discussions
2
Project Management
Chapter 17
3
Online Quiz 1 (Sept 20, Friday, 8:00 am – 11:00pm), 2.5%
3
Demand Forecasting
Chapter 3
3

Problem-solving
Discussions
4
Inventory Management
Chapter 11
3
5
Strategic Capacity Planning
Chapter 5
2
6
Concept of Supply Chain Management & Logistics
Chapter 15
2
Online Quiz 2
Midterm (in person, 2.5 hours) Oct 27, 2024
Excel Assignment (online submission) (10%)
Submission date: TBA
7
Quality Management and Statistical Process Control.
Chapters 9 and 10

4
Problem-solving
Discussions
Online Quiz 3
7
Waiting Line Models- Models 1,3, and 5
Chapter 18
3
Problem-solving
Discussions, Excel
8
Concept of Linear Programming using Graphical Solutions.

Supplements 6S
3
LINGO/Excel solver introduction, end of chapter questions
Online Quiz 4
Final Examination: TBA, 45%

COURSE EVALUATION (ONLINE)
The final grade for the course will be based on the relative weight for each component as follows:
Components
Weight
Online quizzes (4)
10%
Midterm (1)
35%
Excel based Assignment
10 %
Final Examination
45%

Online Quizzes: The quizzes are intended to reinforce concepts and quantitative problem-solving techniques covered in class. These quizzes will significantly help you in understanding the material covered and in securing a good grade in this course. There is NO replacement quiz or weight adjustment for missing any quiz under any circumstances. Every student is expected to attempt these quizzes individually.
Students should take the online quizzes using a desktop computer directly connected to the internet. Students are responsible for the stability of the computer and the Internet connection that they use while taking online quizzes. Usually, the Internet is very stable if you do not open any other applications (like PPTs, word, excel, other websites, etc.). Before taking a quiz, you need to test the reliability of the setup by completing the “practice quiz”. The instructor is NOT responsible for any errors resulting from the computer or the internet connection. Only one attempt is allowed.
Assignment: The instructions and deadline will be posted on Moodle.
Midterm Examinations – Non-cumulative: To ensure information symmetry among all the examinees, the instructor shall NOT answer any questions during the examination period. Note that employment/work conflicts will not be considered as a valid reason to miss the midterm examination.
Final Examination – Non-cumulative: The final examination will be scheduled by the Exams Office of Concordia University. This examination covers only the post-midterm materials as outlined in the course. To ensure information symmetry among all the examinees, the instructor shall NOT answer any questions during the examination period.
Conversion to Letter Grades:
Letter Grades
Marks Obtained
Letter Grades
Marks Obtained
A+
A
A-
90-100
85-89
80-84
C+
C
C-
67-69
63-66
60-62
B+
B
B-
77-79
73-76
70-72
D+
D
D-
57-59
53-56
50-52

FNS
0-49

TEACHING METHOD & COURSE MATERIALS
All the mentioned topics will be delivered in the form of class room lectures supplemented by tutorials. Each OM tool discussed in the class will be supplemented by several examples and industrial applications. Numerical examples, practice questions, etc. will be provided to enrich the learning environment as necessary.
Course Website:
Moodle: The course websites for all the sections will be administered through “Moodle”. You can access the course website through myconcordia portal at www.myconcordia.ca using your netname and password. Your account will allow you to access the online course material and resources from the course website for the duration of term.
Students are expected to check the course website (Moodle) on regular basis for updates and postings. They are also expected to use the appropriate forums in the Moodle for all judicious correspondences.
All the practice quizzes and online quizzes will be administered through Moodle.
Materials provided on the course website include the following: (Note: Commercial uses and unauthorized production and distributions of the provided materials are strictly prohibited).
Lecture Slides: Electronic supplements of the classroom lectures (power point slides) may be posted on the course website by the instructors. Note that these slides may not be self-explanatory and may not cover all the outlined materials. Major part of the class lecture may include verbal explanations or demonstration on black-board. Hence, students are expected to attend all the lectures. It is the student’s responsibility to make-up for the missed classes.
In-Class Questions: These questions will be solved in class, and the solutions will NOT be posted on Moodle. Hence, students are expected to attend all the classes.
Tutorial Questions: These questions will be solved during tutorials. Final answers to these questions will be provided. For detailed solution, students are encouraged to attend the tutorials. Tutorials will be conducted by the tutors. The tutorial hours will be announced on the course website.
Practice Questions: These questions are selected from the textbook. Detailed solutions will be posted on the course website.
Multiple Choice Review Questions: Multiple choice questions on every topic will be posted on the course website. These questions are mainly from the textbook. Students are expected to practice these questions.
Exam Review Questions: These are drawn from previous mid-term and final exams. Detailed solutions will be posted on the course website.
Formula Sheet: A formula sheet will be provided during the term.
Software: MS Excel Solver is an add-in package that will be used for solving linear programming models. Students are expected to get familiar with the excel solver.
Supplementary materials: Any other course supplements will be posted on Moodle.

IMPORTANT NOTES (Must Read!!!)
Students are expected to make use of office hours held by the instructors and teaching assistants.
You will be communicating with your instructor and teaching assistant via Moodle (unless they have asked you to contact via email). Please allow for a 2-business days response time.
Neither programmable/graphical calculators nor electronic dictionaries will be permitted in the exam room.

ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The learning objectives are assessed through one Excel based assignment, online quizzes, and examinations.

                           Learning

Learning Activity
Objective
Quizzes

Excel Assignment
Instructor specific task
Examinations (mid-term & final)
Acquire basic knowledge of the OM including terminologies, tools, concepts, techniques, and methodologies.
multiple-choice and fill-in-the blank questions

In-class problems focus on quantitative techniques
theory-based multiple-choice exam questions
Analyze specific situations from an OM perspective (Apply OM concepts and methodologies to specific situations).

The assignment will be based on one or more topics such as Inventory, forecasting, waiting lines, and Supply chain management.

Quantitative Questions in the exam
Short answer questions in the exam
Analyze elements of manufacturing and service organizations to solve problems and make decisions.
Application-based exam questions

Quantitative Questions in the exam
Use computer technology to aid in making better decisions.

Computation intensive large question

Software related exam questions
Understand OM issues in organizations, and the role of supply chain managers and logistics professionals in the global economy.
Multiple-choice exam questions

In-class problem will mimic real world problems faced by organizations
Multiple-choice exam questions
Apply evidence-based approaches to decision making

Excel-based data-oriented individual assignment.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
The Academic Code of Conduct at Concordia University states that the “integrity of University academic life and of the degrees, diplomas and certificates the University confers is dependent upon the honesty and soundness of the instructor-student learning relationship and, in particular, that of the evaluation process. As such, all students are expected to be honest in all of their academic endeavors and relationships with the University” (Undergraduate Calendar, section 16.3.14). All students enrolled at Concordia are expected to familiarize themselves with the contents of this Code. You are strongly encouraged to visit http://provost.concordia.ca/academicintegrity/, which provides useful information about proper academic conduct. You can also visit the following web address: http://johnmolson.concordia.ca/images/stories/undergrad_prog/undergrad_landing_page/docs/academic_integrity_may2009.pdf, which provides useful information about proper academic conduct.

ACADEMIC CODE OF CONDUCT
The Academic Code of Conduct is a University policy that outlines the procedures by which academic honesty or integrity is enforced. It outlines offenses, procedures for dealing with offenses, and possible sanctions if charges are upheld. The Code can be found in the University Calendar or on the Concordia website at:
http://secretariat.concordia.ca/policies/academic/en/AcademicCodeConduct2008.pdf
PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is the most common offense under the Code. The Code defines it as: “the presentation of the work of another person, in whatever form, as one’s own or without proper acknowledgement”. This includes material copied word‐for‐word from books, journals, Internet sites, instructors’ course notes, material that is paraphrased but closely resembles the original source, a paper purchased through one of the many available sources, or work done by a fellow student such as an answer on a quiz, data for a lab report, a paper, or an assignment. Plagiarism does not refer to words alone – it can also refer to copying images, graphs, tables, and ideas. “Presentation” is not limited to written work ‐ it also includes oral presentations, computer assignments and artistic work. Several information sources have been developed to assist you in understanding the meaning and implications of plagiarism:

1. http://learning.concordia.ca/Help/handouts/WritingHO/AvoidingPlagiarism.shtml includes information on what plagiarism is and how you can avoid it, and
2. http://library.concordia.ca/help/howto/citations.html#citing, includes various guides for proper citation of reference material prepared by Concordia’s librarians.

WHAT ELSE DOES THE CODE ADDRESS?
Although plagiarism is the most common offense, the Code addresses other offences as follows:
Stealing or obtaining exam questions, exam answers or any other University documents without authorization.
Possession and/or use of any non‐authorized materials, documents or devices such as calculators, translators, crib sheets, or hidden notes, during an examination. Possession of the unauthorized material, even if not used, is itself an offence. This also applies to books that can be accessed during the examination.
Copying answers from someone else’s exam paper during an examination, or getting unauthorized help during an examination.
Communicating, for any reason, with any person other than the invigilator during an examination.
Making any changes to an exam booklet, including tearing out pages or adding pages.
Removing an exam paper or booklet from an examination room.
Personation: assuming the identity of another person or having another person assume one’s own identity. For example, Mary who is not prepared for an exam asks her friend Jane, who took the course the previous year, to write the exam in her place. Both Mary and Jane can be charged with personation.
Giving your work to another student knowing that he/she will hand in all or part of your work claiming that it is his/her own. Both students can be charged.
Submitting the same piece of work for evaluation in two or more courses without prior approval from the course instructors.
Falsifying documents. This includes any documents being submitted to Concordia as well as any Concordia documents. Examples of falsified documents include transcripts and records for the purpose of admission, notes from medical doctors, or other documents to avoid writing exams or handing in assignments on the prescribed dates.
Falsifying research facts, data or sources of information. For example, changing a few data points in your experiment in order to improve on the experiment’s results.
The Student Advocate Program has recently produced pamphlets in English, French, Chinese and Arabic to help students get a better understanding of the essential content of the Code of Conduct. You can access the presentation and the pamphlets at: http://supportservices.concordia.ca/studentadvocateprogram.
DISCLAIMER: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University’s control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.
Topics to be covered in each chapter
(Based on the current Text book, Operations Management by Stevenson & Hojati)
Chapter
Topics to be covered
Learning outcomes
Introduction to Operations Management
Full chapter

Understand the role of operations management in managing business

Understand the three major functional areas of organizations and describe how they interact. Understanding the difference and connection between production & services
Competitiveness, strategic planning, and productivity
Full chapter

Multi-product productivity, and relation of operations with other major business functions.

Project management
Project planning
Work breakdown structure
Gantt chart
Precedence network (AON)
PERT/CPM methods
Deterministic durations
Probabilistic durations
Path probabilities
Project crashing

Explain what is involved in project planning and, how to manage projects, costs and risks.

Discuss what a project is, its performance goals, and phases.

Project planning, work breakdown structure, PERT/CPM technique with deterministic durations to schedule projects, Project crashing and solving typical problems
Discuss project execution and control, and earned value analysis.

Determine path probabilities when durations are probabilistic, and solve typical problems.
Demand forecasting
Apart from theory, the following methods must be covered
Judgemental methods,
Time series models
Naïve methods
Moving average
Weighted moving average
Exponential smoothing
Techniques for trend:
Linear trend equation
Trend-adjusted Exponential smoothing
Techniques for seasonality
Seasonal relatives using CMA
Associative models
Simple linear regression
Accuracy and control

• MAD, MASE and MAPE
• Tracking signal

Capable to select and apply suitable models of demand forecasts:

Distinguish between forecasting time frames, describe common features of forecasts, and list the elements of a good forecast and steps of the forecasting process. Understand the components of a time series model, seasonality, exploring various forecasting techniques, comparing and evaluating models, and implementing using excel.
Management of Quality
Full chapter with a focus on PDSA, Six sigma, and Basic Quality tools

Understand the importance of quality as a competitive advantage, and various quality philosophies, methods, and tools.
Statistical Quality Control
Central limit theorem
Type 1 and type 2 errors
Sample mean and range control charts
P chart
C chart
Process capability analysis

Use an appropriate process control model to analyze processes, comment on the state; analyze the process capability, and recommend the appropriate action to improve the process capability.
Waiting line models
Introduction to queueing system and performance measures
Arrival and service patterns
Poisson and Exponential distribution
Queueing Models:
Model 1 -Single server model (infinite source)
Model 3: Single server, constant service durations
Model 5: Multiple servers, exponential service durations
Computation of total system costs
Determining the number of servers by minimizing total system cost

Able to identify the service needs and apply appropriate service models to manage and improve the operations.

Use Excel and a calculator to properly use various waiting line formulas. Learn to identify an appropriate waiting line model for evaluating services and design the services.
Inventory Management
Introduction, purpose, and objectives of inventory.
Inventory-related costs, inventory classification.
Basic Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)
Economic Production Quantity (EPQ)
EOQ with quantity discounts,
Reorder point.
Single period model

Discuss the importance of inventory, list major reasons for holding inventory, and discuss the objectives of inventory management.
Basic economic order quantity model, the economic production quantity model, the quantity discount model, the planned shortage model, and solve typical problems based on those models.
Single period model, service level, re-order point, and solve typical problems
Strategic Capacity Planning
Capacity requirements, design capacity, effective capacity, Break-even analysis, Break-even problem with step costs, Break-even point in sales dollars
Calculate capacity requirements, describe break-even analysis approach for evaluating capacity alternatives, and use it to solve problems.
Supply chain management
Full chapter with a focus on Logistics

Identify supply chain activities and able to explain the importance of collaboration in global supply chain planning:

Apply more than one technique or tool to design/evaluate supply chains, and understand various technical terms associated with supply chains.

Aggregate planning and introducion to linear programming

Concept of optimization,
Two variables problem formulation,
Graphical solution procedure
graphing lines, constraints, objective function,
Identification of feasible region, slack, surplus, and optimal solutions.

Able to formulate easily two variable problems and obtain solution.

Able to obtain solution using excel for more than two variable problem.