• Distinguish the conditions most appropriate for lean or agile strategies;
• Determine when a combination of lean and agile strategies (”leagility”) is appropriate and how the combination is operationalized;
• Apply principles of continuous improvement to supply chain and business operations;
• Describe the methods applied by companies in pursuit of operational excellence;
• Apply lean and agile problem-solving and analysis methods competetently;
• Engage and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.

Businesses today must be responsive to changes in customer preferences, supply disruptions, and market developments, to name a few dynamics.  In order to accommodate change in an effective and cost efficient manner, companies of all kinds are embracing distinct supply chain strategies to adapt to market needs and to do so with the minimum waste and inefficiency. 

Three distinct strategies that have appeared in the Logistics, Operations, and Supply Chain Management literature in recent years are Lean, Agile, and so-called Leagile supply chains.  Lean is the management method that seeks to eliminate waste in its various forms.  Toyota is often regarded as the epitome of Lean with its much heralded Toyota Production System, employing make-to-stock replenishment of automobiles based on forecasted demand (i.e., dealer orders).  Agile supply chains are those that seek effective, flexible accommodation of unique customer demands, usually through make-to-order manufacturing operations.  Customer-direct business models are commonly cited examples of the agile supply chain.  Finally, Leagile supply chains use a combination of lean supply of near-final assemblies with agile customization to meet customers’ unique wants without the speculation of lean systems or the long lead times of agile systems (where raw materials must be processed fully for sale).  This postponement strategy is often referred to as “mass customization,” and is employed by automakers that build generic vehicles in one nation and customizes them upon arrival in the destination market to fill customer orders there. 

This course examines the premise and methods associated with lean, agile, and leagile strategies.  We evaluate tools used to remove bottlenecks and impediments to efficient, effective supply chain operations in order to yield reduced costs and improved service. 

The course employs a multitude of instruction methods to explore concepts and strategies, review analysis methods and tools, and evaluate operations in pursuit of improvement. 

For the Preliminary Assignment, each student will prepare a short report of an exemplar company demonstrating competitive prowess in the domains of lean or agile supply chain performance.  We will discuss these companies in Class 1. For the Mid-term Assignment, each student will pair up with another to write a short paper report. The two-person team must select a process on which to focus the paper. The team is instructed to observe, measure, and analyze the process and suggest improvements. The focal process can be industrial or routine. Complex processes are not essential. Rather, students should focus on a process that allows for direct observation, interviews with those performing the work, and measurement of inputs and outputs. A swim-lane process map should be used to capture the process work steps. A hard copy of this assignment (5 pages max.) is due at the start of Class 6.

Preliminary Assignment: To help students get maximum value from ISUP courses, instructors provide a reading or a small number of readings or video clips to be read or viewed before the start of classes with a related task scheduled for class 1 in order to 'jump-start' the learning process.

The timetable is available on http://www.cbs.dk/uddannelse/summer-university-programme/courses.

Textbook: Robert Martichenko and Kevin von Grabe, Building a Lean Fulfillment Stream: Rethinking your supply chain and logistics to create maximmum value at minimum total cost (Lean Enterprise Institute 2010); ISBN-978-1-934109-19-9. Available from: http://www.lean.org/Bookstore/OrderInformation.cfm .  

Additional readings will be posted, or a weblink provided, on LEARN.