www.buckingham.ac.uk/business

MSc in Lean Enterprise

For more information on MSc Lean Enterprise at Buckingham please contact:John DarlingtonE: john.darlington@buckingham.ac.uk

Applications & Admissions:To apply please visit www.buckingham.ac.uk/lean-enterprise or contact our Business Admissions team E: business-admissions@buckingham.ac.ukT: +44 (0)1280 820236

The University of BuckinghamHunter Street, Buckingham. MK18 1EG

United Kingdom

Key FactsQualification: Master of Science in Lean Enterprise

Start Date: January

Duration: 24 months, part-time

Entry: A minimum of 5 years significant relevant practical experience and/or a First or Upper Second class honours degree. Requirements: Several students will have other qualifications such as Six Sigma black belt.

Assessment: Part 1: (120 credits). All modules must be passed. Each module is assessed by both assignment (66%) and an exercise (33%). Some assignments could be multi-media, electronic. Part 2: (60 credits). 15,000 word dissertation. A dissertation presentation is assessed.

Fees: Please visit our website for current fee information (www.buckingham.ac.uk). Fees do not include accommodation or travel to the various modules. Some modules may be held in Europe.

Since the publication in 1996 of Lean Thinking (Womack and Jones), ‘Lean’ has established itself as the most effective and most widely adopted improvement methodology for operations in the world. With roots in the Toyota Production System and in earlier approaches, Lean has expanded vertically into accounting, marketing, HR, IT, logistics, design and R&D. In addition, ‘Lean’ has expanded horizontally into service, health, government, and banking and is now integrated with other effective approaches including Systems Thinking and Six Sigma, therefore, the programme is titled ‘Lean Enterprise’ rather than ‘Lean Operations’. The focus, however, is on integrated operations rather than on learning a range of diverse disciplines or tools.

Whilst today not everyone agrees with the term ‘Lean’, the principles learned in this programme are now ‘mainstream’ in any aspiring operations organisation.

Masters in Lean Enterprise at The University of Buckingham

Why choose The University of Buckingham?The two-year, part-time Buckingham MSc is specifically designed for practicing managers working, or aspiring to work, in the area of operations. All participants should have considerable experience as they will be expected to contribute ideas and share experiences. Buckingham prides itself on the support it gives to its students and this has been reflected by coming Top or near top of the National Student Survey (NSS) in student satisfaction since 2006.

The Philosophy of LeanThe philosophy of the programme is that ‘Lean’ can only effectively be learned with hands-on practice. Therefore, a considerable part of the programme is held on-site at plant and service locations. By the end of the programme participants will have taken part in real exercises (not just case studies) in several organisations and sectors.

Mentoring is an important part of learning about ‘Lean’. Detailed mentoring, feedback, and discussion are all important aspects of the course. Networking is also a valuable aspect that results from the class profile and the student group is deliberately small to allow both practical hands-on participation as well as personal interaction with some of the leading practitioners in the UK.

Part 1 - January During the first 14 months, students take eight one-week modules and also attend some specific core skill training such as the application of systems thinking and aspects of TWI (Training Within Industry). Extensive use is made of electronic meetings and mentoring. An iPad is recommended.

The modules are a set, one flowing into the next, building into an integrated system. There are no elective modules.

The Modules

1. Foundations and Stability

2. Improvement and Systems

3. Demand, Capacity and Flow – Part 1

4. Demand, Capacity and Flow – Part 2

5. Practical Skills, Layout and TPM

6. Leadership and Change

7. Supply Chain

8. Innovation, New Product Intro, Policy Deployment and Lean Accounting

The ProgrammePart 2 has two main activities – a dissertation and a research skills course. Regular feedback sessions take place, both face to face at various locations, and electronically.

A Typical ‘Hands-on On-site Module’The first day comprises of lectures and discussion on the topic theory. A briefing is given by plant management, and a walk through takes place. Days 2 to 4 consist of lectures, discussions, and games. There will also be several hours of investigation, observation, discussion with plant staff, use of computer packages for data analysis, and synthesis. During such days, students work closely with lecturers (typically two) and together they work out recommendations. Overnight there is often reading and further analysis. On the Friday a presentation is made to plant management. The module concludes at around 3pm.

The staff of the programme are all experienced Lean, Systems, and Six Sigma practitioners as well as all having years of experience in hands-on Masters-level Lean teaching, most notably:

Denis Becker - Global Master Black Belt, Gemalto and TWI Trainer David Brunt - CEO of Lean Academy UK Philip Catherwood - Master Black Belt, Welsh Government Chris Cooper - Vice President, Simpler Europe Frank Devine - Director, Accelerated Improvement Linus Larsson - Author, Consultant Darrell Mann - Authority on TRIZ and Innovation John Seddon - Founder, Vanguard Consulting Justin Watts - MSc Lean, Six Sigma Black Belt and TWI Trainer Peter Willmott - Principal, Willmott Solutions

FacultyCourse Co-ordinatorsJohn Darlington (Programme Manager) John is a widely respected consultant in the areas of Lean accounting and scheduling. He is a frequent presenter at international conferences and is a visiting professor at University of Wales, Newport.

John Bicheno John is Reader in Operations Management at The University of Buckingham and is the Author and co-author of 10 books including ‘The Lean Toolbox’ (sales exceeding 100k copies). John is a former associate professor of industrial engineering, and mentor to many companies. He began learning about Lean in 1982 with Toyota in South Africa and is the founding Director of MSc in Lean Operations and Lean Enterprise Research Centre, 1999-2012.

Pauline Found (Head of Department) Pauline is Senior Lecturer in Operations Management and Lean at The University of Buckingham and is co-author of the Shingo Prize winning publication Staying Lean: Thriving not just surviving. She was President of The College of Behavior, a college of the International Society of Production and Operations Management (POMS) and was a former Senior Research Fellow at the Lean Enterprise Research Centre at Cardiff University, 2004-2013.