Applied engineering

About: Applied engineering is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1795 publications have been published within this topic receiving 29435 citations.

The last planner system of production control

Abstract: Project controls have traditionally been focused on after-the-fact detection of variances. This thesis proposes a control system, the Last Planner system, that causes the realization of plans, and thus supplements project management’s concern for management of contracts with the management of production. The Last Planner system has previously been successfully applied by firms with direct responsibility for production management; e.g., specialty contractors. This thesis extends system application to those coordinating specialists, both in design and construction, through a series of case studies, one of which also explores the limits of unilateral implementation by specialists. In addition to the extended application, two questions drive this research. The first question is 1) What can be done by way of tools provided and improved implementation of the Last Planner system of production control to increase plan reliability above the 70% PPC level? Previous research revealed substantial improvement in productivity for those who improved plan reliability to the 70% level, consequently there is reason to hope for further improvement, possibly in all performance dimensions, especially with application across an entire project rather than limited to individual specialty firms. That question is explored in three case studies, the last of which achieved the 90% target. The second question is 2) How/Can Last Planner be successfully applied to increase plan reliability during design processes. That question is explored in an extensive case study, which significantly contributes to understanding the design process from the perspective of active control, but unfortunately does not fully answer the question, primarily because the project was aborted prior to start of construction. However, it is argued that Last Planner is especially appropriate for design production control because of the value-generating nature of design, which renders ineffective traditional techniques such as detailed front end planning and control through after-the-fact detection of variances. Issues for future research are proposed, including root cause analysis of plan failures and quantification of the benefits of increased plan reliability for both design and construction processes.

Operations Management for Competitive Advantage

Abstract: CONTENTS IN BRIEFSECTION ONE OPERATIONS STRATEGY AND MANAGING CHANGE1 Introduction to the Field 2 Operations Strategy and Competitiveness Technical Note 2 Optimizing the Use of Resources with Linear Programming 3 Project Management4 Product Design Technical Note 4 Learning Curves SECTION TWO PROCESS SELECTION AND DESIGN 5 Process Analysis Technical Note 5 Job Design and Work Measurement 6 Manufacturing Process Selection and Design Technical Note 6 Facility Layout 7 Service Process Selection and Design Technical Note 7 Waiting Line Management 8 Quality Management: Focus on Six Sigma Technical Note 8 Process Capability and Statistical Quality Control 9 Operations Consulting and Reengineering SECTION THREE SUPPLY CHAIN DESIGN10 Supply Chain Strategy 11 Strategic Capacity Management Technical Note 11 Facility Location 12 Lean Production SECTION FOUR PLANNING AND CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY CHAINManagerial Briefing Enterprise Resource Planning Systems 13 Forecasting 14 Aggregate Sales and Operations Planning 15 Inventory Control 16 Material Requirements Planning 17 Operations Scheduling Technical Note 17 Simulation 18 Synchronous Manufacturing and Theory of Constraints SUPPLEMENTS A Financial Analysis B Operations Technology

The future of engineering education ii. teaching methods that work

Abstract: Deficiencies in engineering education have been exhaustively enumerated in recent years. Engineering schools and professors have been told by countless panels and blue-ribbon commissions and, in the United States, by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology that we must strengthen our coverage of fundamentals; teach more about “real-world” engineering design and operations, including quality management; cover more material in frontier areas of engineering; offer more and better instruction in both oral and written communication skills and teamwork skills; provide training in critical and creative thinking skills and problem-solving methods; produce graduates who are conversant with engineering ethics and the connections between technology and society; and reduce the number of hours in the engineering curriculum so that the average student can complete it in four years.