Business Efficiency Simulation
General
- 60 learners; teams of 6
- 100 hours per learner
- Dates set by experience
- Learners self-assign
Preferred companies
- 1 projects wanted
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Academic experience
- Any
- Any industries
Categories
Skills
Project timeline
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September 17, 2019Experience start
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September 21, 2019Project Scope Meeting
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September 28, 2019Data Requirements Meeting
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October 19, 2019Midterm Review
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November 20, 2019Presentations
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November 26, 2019Experience end
Timeline
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September 17, 2019Experience start
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September 21, 2019Project Scope Meeting
Meeting between students and organization to confirm project scope, communication styles, and important dates.
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September 28, 2019Data Requirements Meeting
In-person or virtual meeting/communication to finalize data requirements
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October 19, 2019Midterm Review
Meeting between students and organization to ensure the team is on track and to validate the current state model.
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November 20, 2019Presentations
Your representatives are invited to attend the team's presentation of their analysis at Concordia.
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November 26, 2019Experience end
Overview
- Details
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In this project, student consultants in Concordia's Master's of Engineering program will create a full simulation of your organization/system/department in order to identify inefficiencies and propose effective solutions. Simulation offers an accurate data-driven method to perform what-if analysis of policies and decisions prior to their implementation in practice, making it a valuable tool for decision-making in your organization.
- Learner skills
- Problem solving, Decision-making, Simulation, Data analysis, Analytical skills
- Deliverables
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* Concise report which includes a statement of efficiency issues and recommended solutions (all solutions are data-driven and specific numbers will provided that show estimated improvements from the solutions)
* Presentation of results (representatives of the company are welcome to attend the in-class presentations and/or the team can present results at your organization)
* Demonstration of the simulation (please note that the simulation itself cannot be shared due to licensing restrictions of the software; however, a demonstration can be done)
Project Examples
Simulation involves representing a real complex system on a computer in order to evaluate its current performance, identify problems in the system, and find solutions for the problems identified. You will benefit from a data-driven method for your organization to understand current efficiency issues and identify effective solutions.
This project can provide value for any for-profit or non-profit organization. If you are unsure about how simulation can help you and your organization, the course instructor would be happy to discuss this question with you and help define the scope of the project. Depending on the complexity of your operations, it might be possible to define more than one project.
Engineers students will work in teams of 5-6 to complete your project in four phases:
Phase 1: Scope definition: The team will meet with you to discuss the scope of the project; they will observe the current processes of your organization, and will describe the data requirements for the project.
Phase 2: Current state model development: Using data received from, or collected at, your organization, the team will create and validate an accurate representation of the current situation in your organization.
Phase 3: Issue identification and evaluation of solutions: Using the current state model, the team will identify efficiency issues (e.g., bottleneck resources), and will propose solutions and simulate the effects of these solutions.
Phase 4: Summary of recommendations: The team will synthesize their findings and present in both written and oral formats.
Previous projects in the course have included the following:
- Simulation of a manufacturing plant in order to identify bottlenecks and improve throughput
- Simulation of a restaurant's food production and service to identify causes of low staff utilization and ways to improve it
- Simulation of the Concordia gym in order to find out which exercise equipment is most heavily used in order to help determine whether and which new equipment should be purchased
- Simulation of flood evacuation processes in Montreal in order to determine policies for reducing the total evacuation time
Additional company criteria
Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:
Provide the team with data (anonymized if necessary) that will be used as input for the models as well as for validation purposes. Alternatively, the team would need permission to collect data in your facility. Timely availability of data is a crucial component in the success of this project.
Be available for a quick phone call with the instructor to initiate your relationship and confirm the scope of the project is an appropriate fit for the course.
Be available to meet with the team at the end of the project in order for them present project results.
Be available to meet with the team mid-way through the project to evaluate and validate their current state model.
Provide a dedicated contact who is available to answer periodic emails or phone calls over the duration of the project to address the team's questions.
Provide the team with the opportunity to observe your facility and/or with a detailed description of the processes that they are required to analyze.