Production Capacity, Quality and Improvement Roadmap Course

Lesson 1 • Capacity and Demand Alignment

Examines how demand variability creates capacity gaps or surpluses. Introduces chase, level, and hybrid strategies for alignment.

Lesson 2 • Capacity Planning Horizons

Distinguishes short-, medium-, and long-term planning windows and their decision scopes. Links planning horizon to appropriate analytical tools.

Lesson 3 • Capacity Measurement Methods

Covers units of measure, time-based metrics, and output-based metrics. Provides tools to quantify capacity consistently across production lines.

Lesson 4 • Defining Production Capacity

Introduces theoretical, practical, and effective capacity distinctions. Anchors all subsequent measurement and planning work in precise definitions.

Lesson 1 • Bottleneck Analysis Techniques

Applies Theory of Constraints and throughput accounting to locate bottlenecks. Quantifies the financial impact of each constraint.

Lesson 2 • Simulation and Scenario Modelling

Introduces discrete-event simulation concepts and what-if scenario analysis. Enables data-driven decisions before committing capital to capacity changes.

Lesson 3 • Capacity Utilisation Calculations

Covers OEE, utilisation, and efficiency formulas with worked examples. Provides a standard scorecard for comparing lines and shifts.

Lesson 4 • Capacity Data Collection and Validation

Establishes protocols for gathering reliable capacity data from the shop floor. Addresses common data quality issues that distort capacity models.

Lesson 1 • Quality Culture and Leadership

Examines how leadership behaviours and organisational culture drive quality outcomes. Links cultural factors to sustainable quality system performance.

Lesson 2 • Core Quality Concepts

Defines quality from customer, conformance, and value perspectives. Builds the conceptual base for all quality measurement and improvement work.

Lesson 3 • Quality Standards and Compliance

Reviews internationally recognised quality standards and sector-specific requirements. Prepares students to align production processes with compliance obligations.

Lesson 4 • Defect Classification and Measurement

Teaches defect categorisation, defects per unit, and defects per million opportunities. Provides a consistent language for tracking and reporting quality performance.

Lesson 1 • Process Capability Analysis

Teaches Cp, Cpk, Pp, and Ppk indices with interpretation guidelines. Connects capability results to customer specification compliance.

Lesson 2 • Sampling Plans and Acceptance Criteria

Explains attribute and variable sampling plan design and operating characteristic curves. Balances inspection cost against quality risk.

Lesson 3 • Measurement System Analysis

Covers gauge R&R studies, bias, linearity, and stability assessments. Ensures measurement systems are reliable before drawing quality conclusions.

Lesson 4 • Variable and Attribute Control Charts

Covers X-bar/R, X-bar/S, p, np, c, and u charts with selection criteria. Enables correct chart selection for any production measurement type.

Lesson 1 • 8D and Structured Problem-Solving Reports

Guides students through the 8-Discipline report format for formal problem resolution. Produces documentation that satisfies customer and regulatory requirements.

Lesson 2 • Problem Definition and Scoping

Teaches problem statement writing, scope boundaries, and impact quantification. A precise problem definition prevents wasted analysis effort.

Lesson 3 • Root Cause Analysis Tools

Covers 5-Why, fishbone diagrams, fault tree analysis, and cause mapping. Provides a toolkit for uncovering physical, human, and systemic root causes.

Lesson 4 • Data-Driven Diagnosis

Applies Pareto analysis, scatter plots, and stratification to confirm root causes with data. Links statistical evidence to causal hypotheses.

Lesson 1 • Lean Principles and Waste Elimination

Covers the eight wastes, value vs. non-value-added work, and flow principles. Provides the conceptual lens for identifying improvement opportunities.

Lesson 2 • Sustaining Improvement Gains

Covers control plans, standard work updates, and visual management for sustaining results. Prevents regression after improvement projects close.

Lesson 3 • Improvement Project Selection

Teaches prioritisation matrices, effort-impact analysis, and portfolio management. Ensures improvement resources target the highest-value opportunities.

Lesson 4 • Six Sigma DMAIC Framework

Walks through Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, and Control phases with deliverables. Structures improvement projects for statistical rigour and business impact.

Lesson 1 • Integrated Performance Dashboards

Designs dashboards that display capacity, quality, and cost KPIs in a unified view. Enables management decisions based on real-time integrated data.

Lesson 2 • Linking Quality to Capacity Output

Quantifies how defect rates reduce effective capacity and throughput yield. Establishes the financial case for joint capacity-quality optimisation.

Lesson 3 • Trade-off Analysis and Decision Making

Examines speed-quality-cost trade-offs using structured decision frameworks. Equips managers to make defensible choices under competing constraints.

Lesson 4 • Risk-Based Capacity and Quality Decisions

Applies FMEA and risk matrices to anticipate capacity and quality failure modes. Prioritises preventive investment based on risk severity and likelihood.

Lesson 1 • Communicating and Deploying the Roadmap

Covers stakeholder communication plans, visual roadmap formats, and deployment workshops. Converts the roadmap document into organisational action.

Lesson 2 • Roadmap Structure and Phasing

Organises initiatives into short-, medium-, and long-term phases with dependencies. Creates a logical sequence that builds capability progressively.

Lesson 3 • Roadmap Governance and Review

Establishes governance structures, review cadences, and escalation paths for roadmap execution. Ensures the roadmap remains current and accountable.

Lesson 4 • Current State Assessment

Conducts a structured gap analysis of current capacity, quality, and process maturity. Provides the factual baseline from which the roadmap is built.

Lesson 5 • Resource and Investment Planning

Estimates labour, capital, and technology resources required for each roadmap phase. Produces a credible investment case for leadership approval.