Teaching Enterprise DecisionMaking using HandsOn ESBased Modules

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Teaching Enterprise Decision-Making using
Hands-On ES-Based Modules  

• Sharon Johnson
• Diane Strong
• Jamshed Mistry
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• IERC - Houston, TX - May 2004

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Motivation Enterprise Decisions

• Environment
• Integrated, business process focus
• Fewer vertical layers
• Increased coordination
• Cross-functional teams
• Enterprise systems (ES)
• Linked applications
• Integrated database

• Needed Skills
• Communicate functional knowledge to non-experts
• Find and use data from ES effectively
• Understand impact of decisions on broader
  processes/problems

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Integration in the Curriculum

• Integration (e.g., Incropera Fox, 1996
  Hamilton et al., 2000)
• Capstone experiences
• Team-taught courses
• Case studies, guest speakers

Challenges - Faculty effort - Functional
expertise, knowledge - Effective linking
mechanisms
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ES in the Curriculum

• Enterprise Systems
• Implementation expertise, MIS majors (e.g.,
  Stewart et al., 1999 Watson Schneider, 1999)
• User expertise, integration mechanism
• Goals ES concepts, realistic data (Rosemann
  Watson, 2002)
• Focus on ES functionality

Challenges (Bradford et al., 2003) - Faculty
motivation, expertise - Cost, technical
infrastructure
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Framework Enterprise Decision-Making

• Design Enterprise Decision-Making Modules
• Functional decision, connected to business
  process
• Common case scenario, Integrated Enterprises
• Use ES data to support analysis
• Explore impact on enterprise
• 2-3 hours class time, 7-10 hours homework
• Delivery
• Foundation module outside class to start
• Student assistants deliver support lab
  activities
• Flexible

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Product Development Process
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Supply Chain and Order Process
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Module Delivery
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Project Management
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Pilot Study Production Planning Control

• Module activities
• Process inventory transactions, created BOM,
  perform re-order point planning, review MRP plan
• 2003 19 students, with module2004 32 students,
  without module
• Measuring student learning
• Responses to exam questions
• Self-efficacy a personal judgment about ones
  ability to carry out an activity

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Self-Efficacy
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Pilot Study Results
Significant improvement in MRP problem
scores Scheduling problem improvement not
significant
Significant gain in technology self-efficacy with
ES module Operations gain not significant
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Conclusions

• Modular framework Enterprise Decision-Making
• Unique focus on ES user expertise
• Overcomes barriers to integration
• Functional focus
• Flexibility
• Pilot study demonstrates
• Feasibility of using student assistants
• Student knowledge of functional material is
  comparable