Impact of Assessment

This is the first time that we have had the performance of groups in the simulation tied directly to a mark that the students get for their operations management course. The logic for this was that by making it count a small part towards the course mark students would be motivated to analyse the decisions they make. It was decided to link it to the amount of cash their company has at a cut-off date next week because tying it to assets leads to end game strategies of running up high inventories. The students also get a good brain-washing on their courses about Lean. The effect seems to have been a tendency to cut inventories and maximise cash in the short-term, but then find that this constrains a policy to increase throughput by cutting prices because there is not the material coming down the pipeline to allow it. Simple insights like realising that with no uncertainty about the delivery of raw materials it makes sense to make the frging buffes stocks either zero or a multiple of the current batch quantity: if the batch quantity is six a buffer of two does not allow a batch to be brought forward in response to an unforeseen increase in sales.

Tying the results to assessment has also limited the role of the lecturer in coaching the groups on what they are doing. Where in the non-assessed past the lecturer would email students to inquire why they made decisions and gently pointing out alternatives, the lecturer now feels that any coaching would give the coached an unfair advantage. He has put down a series of questions on the website though to ry to get them to think about what they are doing, but I cannot see evidence that they have read any of it.