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Monash University

FIT5160 Business process modelling, design and simulation - Semester 2, 2013

Business processes must be designed to ensure that they are effective and meet customer requirements. A well-designed process will improve efficiency and deliver greater productivity. This unit will introduce students to analytical tools that can be used to model, analyse, understand and design business processes. Students will also gain hands-on experience in using simulation software as a tool for analysing business processes.

Mode of Delivery

  • Caulfield (Day)
  • Gippsland (Off-campus)
  • Sunway (Evening)

Contact Hours

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs laboratories/wk

Workload requirements

Students will be expected to spend a total of 12 hours per week during semester on this unit as follows:

  • Lectures: 2 hours per week
  • Tutorials/Lab Sessions: 2 hours per week per tutorial
  • and up to an additional 8 hours in some weeks for completing lab and project work, private study and revision.

Unit Relationships

Prohibitions

BUS5502

Prerequisites

FIT9004 or FIT9017 or BUS9520

Chief Examiner

Dr Yen Cheung

Campus Lecturer

Caulfield

Yen Cheung

Consultation hours: By appointment (E-mail: ycheung@monash.edu.au, Phone: 99052441)

Gippsland

Yen Cheung

Sunway

Ramesh Kumar Ayyasamy

Tutors

Caulfield

Peter Huynh

Consultation hours: TBA

Constanza Reyes

Consultation hours: TBA

Academic Overview

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit students will:
  • have a thorough understanding of business organisations, their functional structure and the advantage of considering the process oriented view of organisations;
  • demonstrate a thorough knowledge of business processes, their structure and how processes fit in to the overall organisation objectives;
  • be able to use analytical tools for modeling, analysing, understanding and designing business processes;
  • have acquired skills to use simulation software as a tool for analysing business processes;
  • be able to report to and advise management on business process design and re-engineering issues.

Unit Schedule

Week Activities Assessment
0 Register for a FIT5160 tutorial - these start in week 2. No formal assessment or activities are undertaken in week 0
1 Introduction to business processes and modelling No tutorial this week
2 Process Improvements and BPR  
3 Business Process Management  
4 Business Process Simulation I  
5 Tools for Business Process Modelling and Design  
6 Analysing process flows  
7 Queuing Systems and Business Process Design Assignment 1: A report on business process improvements due 11pm, 13 September 2013
8 Process Modelling and Petri Nets  
9 Managing Process Flow  
10 Business Process Simulation II  
11 Summary and Review  
12 Guest Lecture Assignment 2: Modelling and Simulation with ExtendSim due 11pm, 25 October 2013
  SWOT VAC No formal assessment is undertaken in SWOT VAC
  Examination period LINK to Assessment Policy: http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/
academic/education/assessment/
assessment-in-coursework-policy.html

*Unit Schedule details will be maintained and communicated to you via your learning system.

Assessment Summary

Examination (3 hours): 60%; In-semester assessment: 40%

Assessment Task Value Due Date
Assignment 1: A report on business process improvements 20% Week 7, 11pm, 13 September 2013
Assignment 2: Modelling and Simulation with ExtendSim 20% Week 12, 11pm, 25 October, 2013
Examination 1 60% To be advised

Teaching Approach

Lecture and tutorials or problem classes
This teaching and learning approach provides facilitated learning, practical exploration and peer learning.

Assessment Requirements

Assessment Policy

Faculty Policy - Unit Assessment Hurdles (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/staff/edgov/policies/assessment-examinations/unit-assessment-hurdles.html)

Academic Integrity - Please see the Demystifying Citing and Referencing tutorial at http://lib.monash.edu/tutorials/citing/

Assessment Tasks

Participation

  • Assessment task 1
    Title:
    Assignment 1: A report on business process improvements
    Description:
    This assignment involves writing a report on business process improvements and conducting some literature review on the topic with practical cases of business process improvements. The report should be approximately 15 - 30 pages including references and bibliography. Full details of the assignment are available on the unit web site.
    Weighting:
    20%
    Criteria for assessment:

    The assignment will be assessed using the following main criteria:  

    • the quality and presentation of the report,
    • the quality of the readings/references and
    • analysis of findings from the readings.

    The professionalism of the submission and supporting documentation will also be considered.    For full details see the unit web site.

    Due date:
    Week 7, 11pm, 13 September 2013
  • Assessment task 2
    Title:
    Assignment 2: Modelling and Simulation with ExtendSim
    Description:
    This is a group assignment involving the design and simulation of a system using the techniques and tools of the unit content.
    Weighting:
    20%
    Criteria for assessment:

    Assignment work in the unit is fully described, along with the assessment criteria, on the assignment page of the Moodle-based unit web site. A peer assessment form is also completed by all students to ensure fair distribution of marks. Guidelines on undertaking a group assignment such as conducting meetings and recording processes will be given to students.

    Besides submitting a complete ExtendSim model for the problem, the assignment will also be assessed based on the following criteria:

    • References or websites used in the assignment
    • Minutes/memos of meetings held to discuss the assignment
    • Tasks performed by each individual member of the group
    • Any other information relevant to the assignment (such as assumptions the group have made about the case, etc)
    • Completed peer assessment form by all members of the group.
    Due date:
    Week 12, 11pm, 25 October, 2013
    Remarks:
    Students who are unable to participate in a group assignment will discuss their options with the lecturer/tutor where alternative assignment arrangements will be provided.

Examinations

  • Examination 1
    Weighting:
    60%
    Length:
    3 hours
    Type (open/closed book):
    Closed book
    Electronic devices allowed in the exam:
    The use of the standard calculator is permitted in the examination of this unit.

Learning resources

Monash Library Unit Reading List
http://readinglists.lib.monash.edu/index.html

Feedback to you

Types of feedback you can expect to receive in this unit are:
  • Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
  • Graded assignments with comments
  • Solutions to tutes, labs and assignments

Extensions and penalties

Submission must be made by the due date otherwise penalties will be enforced.

You must negotiate any extensions formally with your campus unit leader via the in-semester special consideration process: http://www.monash.edu.au/exams/special-consideration.html

Returning assignments

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

Resubmission of assignments

Once submitted officially, students will not be allowed to re-submit their assignments unless they are requested to do so.

Referencing requirements

The Harvard Referencing style is preferred, otherwise information on referencing can be found at http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/quickrefs/19-styles.xml

Assignment submission

It is a University requirement (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/plagiarism-procedures.html) for students to submit an assignment coversheet for each assessment item. Faculty Assignment coversheets can be found at http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/. Please check with your Lecturer on the submission method for your assignment coversheet (e.g. attach a file to the online assignment submission, hand-in a hard copy, or use an online quiz). Please note that it is your responsibility to retain copies of your assessments.

Online submission

If Electronic Submission has been approved for your unit, please submit your work via the learning system for this unit, which you can access via links in the my.monash portal.

Required Resources

Please check with your lecturer before purchasing any Required Resources. Limited copies of prescribed texts are available for you to borrow in the library, and prescribed software is available in student labs.

The ExtendSim simulation software is provided in this unit for building simulation models. The software is installed in the designated laboratories used for the tutorials of this unit.

ExtendSim software for building simulation models.
A limited, non-expiring working copy of the software can be download from http://www.extendsim.com/prods_demo.html
This limited copy will be sufficient for the purposes of this unit.

Textbook:

Individual eChapters of the Prescribed textbook can be purchased from:

http://www.cengagebrain.com.au/shop/en/AU/storefront/australia?cmd=CLHeaderSearch&fieldValue=9780324291575

Prescribed text(s)

Limited copies of prescribed texts are available for you to borrow in the library.

Wisner J D, Stanley L L. (2008). Process Management - Creating Value along the supply chain. () Thomson South-Western Publishing.

Examination material or equipment

The use of the standard calculator is permitted in the examination of this unit.

Other Information

Policies

Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and to provide advice on how they might uphold them. You can find Monash’s Education Policies at: www.policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html

Key educational policies include:

Graduate Attributes Policy

http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/management/monash-graduate-attributes-policy.html

Student services

The University provides many different kinds of support services for you. Contact your tutor if you need advice and see the range of services available at http://www.monash.edu.au/students. For Sunway see http://www.monash.edu.my/Student-services, and for South Africa see http://www.monash.ac.za/current/.

Monash University Library

The Monash University Library provides a range of services, resources and programs that enable you to save time and be more effective in your learning and research. Go to www.lib.monash.edu.au or the library tab in my.monash portal for more information. At Sunway, visit the Library and Learning Commons at http://www.lib.monash.edu.my/. At South Africa visit http://www.lib.monash.ac.za/.

Disability Liaison Unit

Students who have a disability or medical condition are welcome to contact the Disability Liaison Unit to discuss academic support services. Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) visit all Victorian campuses on a regular basis.

Your feedback to Us

Monash is committed to excellence in education and regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through the Student Evaluation of Teaching and Units (SETU) survey. The University’s student evaluation policy requires that every unit is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.

For more information on Monash’s educational strategy, see:

www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions and on student evaluations, see: www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html

Previous Student Evaluations of this Unit

Previous feedback has highlighted the following strengths in this unit:

  • use of simulation software to analyse problems;
  • guest speaker who provided practical insghts to business process improvements;
  • combination of theory and practical knowledge and experience provided in this unit.

Student suggestions for improvements to this unit include:

  • more guest speakers to provide more practical applications of concepts;
  • less numerical analysis in this unit.

If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to
https://emuapps.monash.edu.au/unitevaluations/index.jsp

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