Toyota Operations Improvement Plan
**I have provided all five assignments needed to complete this assignment.**
Note: You must complete Assessments 1–5 before beginning this assessment.
For this assessment, submit your final operations improvement plan (OIP). In the assessments you have completed thus far, you have submitted drafts of each of the components of an OIP. Take time now to update the work you have already completed with the information and understanding you have gained throughout the course. Take into consideration all of the research and groundwork you have completed along the way. Incorporate feedback from previous assessments as well as the tools, techniques, and methodologies you have examined throughout the course. Finalize your comprehensive OIP as if you were to present it as a formal recommendation to the organizational leaders of the Toyota Motor Corporation. Focus your writing appropriately for that audience. Make sure each piece of your OIP fits together and supports the other elements.
Your final OIP should include the following elements:
- A problem statement, including an overview of the Toyota recall crisis, with a brief history and description of the situation.
- A description of the key challenge or problem you have chosen to address in Toyota’s organizational processes and an analysis of its organizational impact, based on theories and models of global operations management.
- An executive summary of the collected and processed data (actual data, if possible, or assumed data, if necessary).
- A cost-benefit analysis based on your data.
- A description of your innovative and sustainable solution that reflects strategic global operations management concepts and practices.
- Your recommendations for supporting the improvement of the selected process, based on practices of global operations management.
- An explanation of the data or findings that validate your recommendations.
- The visual tools that you developed to support and integrate your analysis into general business management planning and decision-making processes.
- A conclusion.
- A comprehensive references list.
Note: Please review and update cause-and-effect diagram and process flowchart in each assessment.
Combine these elements to create a complete, integrated operations improvement plan, with each piece working together to support your plan.
Additional Requirements
- Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
- APA formatting: Format resources and citations according to APA style and formatting.
- Length of paper: 8–10 typed, double-spaced pages plus appendices and reference list.
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Toyota Specific Resources
- Cole, R. E. (2011). What really happened to Toyota? MIT Sloan Management Review, 52(4), 29–35.
- Gerondeau (2015). How Toyota Recovered from a Huge Crisis. What can be learned from it. Retrieved from: https://thethirdroad.com/?p=280
- Khan, Riz (2010). The Toyota Crisis. Al Jazeera English. Retrieved from
Additional Resources for Further Exploration
You may use the following optional resources to further explore the Questions to Consider and assessment topics.
Operations Management
The following resources offer a foundational broad view of operations management.
- Ashkenas, R., & Chandler, L. (2013, October 1). Four tips for better strategic planning [Blog post]. Harvard Business Review Blog Network. Retrieved from http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/10/four-tips-for-better-…
- Ashwathappa, K., & Shridhara Bhat, K. (2010). Production and operations management. Mumbai, India: Himalaya Publishing House.
- Deming, W. E. (1987, December). Transformation of today’s management. Executive Excellence, 4(12), 8.
- Foster, S. T., Wallin, C., & Ogden, J. (2011). Towards a better understanding of supply chain quality management practices. International Journal of Production Research, 49(8), 2285–2300.
You may want to search this blog for the following terms: automotive recalls, operations improvement, and strategic planning.
- Harvard Business Publishing. (n.d.). HBR blog network. Retrieved from https://hbrblogs.wordpress.com/
- Beers, Hamerman, Cohen, & Burger. (2015). Managing Your Business through a Crisis: 6 Steps to Success. Retrieved from: http://bhcbcpa.com/managing-your-business-through-…
- Markey, R. (2014, January 27). The four secrets to employee engagement [Blog post]. Harvard Business Review Blog Network. Retrieved from http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/01/the-four-secrets-to-e…
- Pal, A., Chan, F. T. S., Mahanty, B., & Tiwari, M. K. (2011). Aggregate procurement, production, and shipment planning decision problem for a three-echelon supply chain using swarm- based heuristics. International Journal of Production Research, 49 (10), 2873–2905.
- Trochim, W. M. K. (2006). Survey research. Retrieved from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/survey.php.
- Value Creation Partners. (n.d.). Analyzing and improving operations. Retrieved from http://www.valuecreationpartners.com/training/anal…
- Yohn, D. L. (2014, February 6). Great brands never have to “give back” [Blog post]. Harvard Business Review Blog Network. Retrieved from http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/02/great-brands-never-ha…
Case Studies
The following case study is recommended for further examination of the topics addressed in this assessment. You may wish to purchase it from Harvard Business School Publishing.
- Gray, A. E., & Leonard, J. (2009). Process fundamentals [Case No. 969-023]. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.