Designing business processes

This elective is about the design of business processes from an industrial-engineering point of view.

This course focuses on business processes before the product launch (innovation, e.g. new product development) as well as after the product launch (e.g., production, service). Assignments focus on both (re)design of structures and (re)design of systems.

• The first assignment typically involves the (re)design of an organizational structure (e.g., sociotechnical redesign of an operational process in a production department).
• The second assignment typically involves the (re)design of a system (e.g. designing a performance measurement and feedback system for teams, or a decision support system for management).
• The third assignment typically involves the (re)design of both structures and systems (for example (re)designing an innovation process and a system for measuring the effectiveness of the (re)designed process).

The actual business cases may vary from year to year.

The course set-up is as follows:

• Introductory lecture about design methodology, and designing in organizations, and briefing lectures about the design assignments, including relevant theories and models.
• Three design assignments, each of which are carried out in the same groups of four students (average work load of 40 hours per design assignment).
• After completion and grading of assignments 1 and 2, feedback sessions are scheduled, during which groups can check the grades they have received as well as ask substantive questions that enable them to obtain feedback that is useful for the next assignment(s).
• During the execution of the design assignments, five Q&A tutorials are scheduled, during which groups may seek feedback and advice on aspects of the assignment.

By means of these three design assignments the students actively exercise with the application of the design cycle in realistic business cases.

• Knowledge acquisition with respect to the characteristics of designing from an industrial engineering point of view.
• Development of competences in the application of the regulative or design cycle, in three assignments about the design of work and innovation processes.

You must meet the following requirements

• Registered for a degree programme other than
• HBO-TOP Applied Physics, Pre-Master

• Per design assignment: downloadable articles, book chapters, case descriptions, and procedures.