OMGT 5373—Quality Management
Location: Live course; SAU Tech Camden Arkansas, Mondays and Wednesdays
6:00-9:00 p.m.
Instructor: Mike Cash; contact cell 870-390-0760 or email cashm@earthlink.net
Course Description:
Introduces students to quality management concepts and their use in enhancing
organizational performance and profitability. History of the quality movement, its
broad application in key economic sectors, and philosophical perspectives of major
quality leaders will be discussed. Focus is on continuous process improvement,
using data and information to guide organizational decision-making. The Six Sigma
approach and associated statistical tools, supporting process improvement, are also
covered. Prerequisite: OMGT 4333, Applied Statistics or University approved
equivalent.
Required Textbook: Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence 8th Edition
James Evans & William Lindsay, South-Western, Cengage Learning, 2011. ISBN: 13: 978-032478320-9
Course Goals/Objectives:
1. Define quality and compare and contrast this definition from a variety of
perspectives
2. Discuss the application of quality in the various organizations; manufacturing,
service, healthcare, and education
3. Compare and contrast the philosophies of Deming, Juran, and Crosby
4. Discuss the role that quality management frameworks such as the MalcolmBaldridge, ISO-9000, and Six Sigma play in improving an organization’s
quality performance
5. Discuss the role of the customer, the importance of building customer
relationships, and the strategies for measuring customer satisfaction
6. Discuss the role of quality leadership in strategic planning and high
performance human resource practices
7. Discuss the scope of process management and specific process improvement
techniques
8. Discuss the scope of performance measurements and their impact on the
cost of quality within the organization
9. Discuss culture change and the associated barriers to creating a culture of
performance excellence
10.Define and discuss the Six-Sigma problem solving process
11.Understand and explain the various tools available for process improvement
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12.Explain the use of statistical process control and its impact on process
improvement
Grading:
Chapter Quizzes
Exams
2 @ 20%
Discussion Participation/Weekly Scan
Personal Quality Checklist
Team or Individual Project and paper
Total*
25%
40%
10%
5%
20%
100%
Final Grade
A > 90%
B 80 - 89%
C 70 – 79%
D 65 - 69%
F < 64%
*Extra Credit up to 2% for qualified end-of-course evaluation
Academic Honesty Policy:
 The University of Arkansas strives to be a center of academic excellence.
As part of our Statement of Ethics, the University strives to preserve
academic honor and integrity by repudiating all forms of academic and
intellectual dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism and all other forms of
academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and is subject to
a disciplinary response.

Students who are caught cheating or committing plagiarism may be given a
failing grade in the course by the professor and may be subject to dismissal
or further discipline.

Plagiarism is often misunderstood as referring only to passing off another’s
writing as one’s own. The definition also extends to ideas and arguments
taken from others’ work without proper citing of the original source. It is
also not permissible to construct papers or reports by merely “cutting and
pasting” and then just citing another’s work. In writing for homework or
projects, you should read and learn, process information through your mind,
relate ideas, and then express your take on the material you’ve read in your
own words. Cite the references where you found your information. If you
do use someone else’s words, do so sparingly, use quotation marks, and cite.
A complete statement of the U of A’s Academic Honesty Policy is available in the UA Student
Handbook and the UA Graduate Catalog.
Inclement Weather Policy:
If the base or campus closes for inclement weather or other reasons, your site
coordinator will be the first to know. She will call the professors and send the
students e-mail advising of class cancellations. If your professor cancels a class
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he/she will contact the site coordinator, and she will send an e-mail to the students
in that class advising of class cancellation.
Course Units/Calendar:
LESSON
1
22-Aug
LESSON ASSIGNMENTS FOR OMGT 5373
(Term 1 2011)
Block I The Quality System
TOPIC
ASSIGNMENT
Introductions
Course overview
Chapter 1 Introduction to Quality
Read Chapter 1
Complete Chapter 1 quiz
Read Chapter 2
Answer Review Questions
2
Chapter 2 Total Quality in Organizations
24-Aug
Personal Quality Checklist due
3
Chapter 3 Philosophies and Frameworks
29-Aug
Team or Individual Project Assignments
4
Chapter 4 Strategic Focus for Performance
Excellence
Review Chapter 2
Complete Chapter 2 quiz
Read Chapter 3
Answer Review Questions
Review Chapter 3
Complete Chapter 3 quiz
Read Chapter 4
Answer Review Questions
Block II The Management System
31-Aug
5
Read Chapter 5
Answer Review Questions
Chapter 5 Focusing on Customers
5-Sep
6
12-Sep
3
Review Chapter 5
Complete Chapter 5 quiz
Read Chapter 6
Answer Review Questions
Chapter 6 High Performance Workforce
Management
7-Sep
7
Review Chapter 4
Complete Chapter 4 quiz
Review Chapter 6
Complete Chapter 6 quiz
Read Chapter 7
Answer Review Questions
Exam 1 (Chapters 1- 6)
Chapter 7 Process Management
Personal Quality Checklist mid-term
update due
Review Chapter 7
Complete Chapter 7 quiz
Read Chapter 8
Answer review questions
8
Chapter 8 Performance Measurement and
information management
14-Sep
9
Review Chapter 8
Complete Chapter 8 quiz
Read Chapter 9
Answer Review Questions
Chapter 9 Leading, Building, and Sustaining
Performance Excellence
19-Sep
Review Chapter 9
Complete Chapter 9 quiz
Read Chapter 10
Answer Review Questions
Block III Six Sigma and the Technical System
10
Chapter 10 Statistical Thinking and
Applications
21-Sep
11
Review Chapter 10
Complete Chapter 10 quiz
Read Chapter 11
Answer Review Questions
Chapter 11 Six Sigma and Process
Improvement
26-Sep
Review Chapter 11
Complete Chapter 11 quiz
Read Chapter 12
Answer Review Questions
Chapter 12 Design for Quality and Product
Excellence
Review Chapter 12
Complete Chapter 12 quiz
Chapter Problem assignments for Chapters 10,
11, 12
Read Chapter 13
Answer Review Questions
13
Chapter 13 Statistical Process Control
Review Chapter 13
Complete Chapter 13 quiz
3-Oct
Case Studies- in Class Work Groups and
discussion
14
Chapter Problem assignments for Chapters 10,
11, 12
In depth review of Chapters 10, 11, 12
12
28-Sep
Complete assigned problem
assignments for Chapters 10,11,12
5-Oct
15
10-Oct
16
12-Oct
4
Team or Individual Project Presentations
and Papers due
Complete Personal Quality
Checklist
Final version of Personal Quality Checklist
due Project Presentations
Review for Exam #2
Complete Project End of course
evaluation form handout
Exam #2 (Chapters 7 – 13)
End of Class
Course Requirements-Additional Notes: Class preparation and discussion
participation are important. Read the assigned chapters in order to do well on
quizzes and exams. Also, be prepared to obtain and discuss recently published
articles of interest (weekly scan) as it relates to Quality Management. Finally, I
recognize team based project assignments may be difficult to coordinate and
accomplish. We will discuss in Session 1 whether Team Projects or individual
research projects can best accomplish course learning objectives. Team projects
or individual research projects will be assigned August 29th and will be due
October 10th. A short 10-15 minute PowerPoint presentation will be made to the
class on the assigned topic and a 3-5 page research paper will be due. Details of
areas to cover in the PowerPoint presentation and research paper will be covered
in class and posted on Blackboard.
Personal Quality Checklist
Each student will be required to develop and maintain a personal quality
checklist and analyze the results periodically throughout the term. The exercise is
described in pages 30-31, and pages 40-41 in Chapter 1. Students should identify
a minimum of 3 items they want to track and improve over time. Each student
should provide me a list of their items during class or via email by Wednesday,
August 24th. Students are required to submit a mid-term update on their personal
checklist to me no later than Monday, September 19th. The final summary should
be returned to me Wednesday, October 10th. We will discuss a format to use for
the personal checklist on the first day of class.
Final Project
This project will be accomplished individually or in pairs. This is your
opportunity to apply some of the quality management tools and skills you have
learned during the semester to a problem of interest. Part of the challenge is to
find a problem of interest to your team as well as figure out how to gather data,
analyze data, and develop a quality product that demonstrates your understanding
of some of the principles taught during the term for a distributed team. This can
be done in a variety of ways and on a variety of topics. I am especially interested
in the application of Quality Management tools. Some suggestions (you are not
limited to these - be creative!!! If you aren’t sure, ask for help!)
-
-
5
Develop a well written and well researched case similar to the Quality in
Practice cases in the chapters of the book that addresses a topic related
to the course. This might be based on literature or real experiences with
the company you have worked.
Summarize the quality practices at a local company in which you worked
or contracts different firms in the same industry based on their quality
practices.
Apply a quality tool that we have learned during this course to a real
problem at a company, student organization, church, or other non-profit
-
organization. This might include process improvement tools or other Six
Sigma tools.
Check out the Projects, Etc., sections of the book for other ideas.
Deliverable: Due October 10th
A 5-10 page paper with complete citations summarizing your project. In
addition, prepare an annotated power point presentation (use the notes page
to summarize what would be said for each slide) summarizing your project.
The power point presentation should be constructed so that it could be given
in 15 -20 minutes. I will use peer reviews of your products to help
determine your grade.
Get approval for your topic no later than September 21st. Please submit a
one or two paragraph description of what your team plans to do for the project..
Class Procedures: if you find that you are unable to attend class, please notify me
in advance using the above contact information. This is particularly important if
there are quizzes, exams, or project/research paper due dates involved. I will make
every attempt to help you achieve the course learning objectives and class
commitments such as offering alternative dates for make-up exams, etc.
Changes to syllabus: The above schedule and procedures in this course are subject
to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.
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