MSc CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN

PUBLIC SERVICES

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at the University of Buckingham

Since the publication of Lean Thinking by Womack and Jones in 1996, Lean and Continuous Improvement (CI) methodologies have expanded from their roots in manufacturing to all forms of services, both local and central government, public/private partnerships and the third sector.

CI is now integrated with other effective approaches including Lean, Systems Thinking, Theory of Constraints and Six Sigma to embrace all improvement methodologies. These days problem solving, experimentation and continuous improvement are part of the culture of the whole organisation and are built in to the day-to-day management system.

Masters in Continuous Improvement in Public Services Qualification: Master of Science in Continuous Improvement in Public Services

Start Date: April

Duration: 24 months, part-time

Entry: First or Second class honours degree, plus a minimum of 5 years experience, or significant relevant practical experience

Requirements: Several students will have other qualifications such as Six Sigma black belt

Assessment: The philosophy of the programme is “learning by doing” so every module will be assessed by both a written assignment (40%) and a report of an actual CI activity undertaken in the student’s workplace (60%). There will be no written tests or examinations.

Part 1: (120 credits). All modules must be passed Part 2: (60 credits). 15,000 word dissertation and research

presentation, both of which are assessed.

Fees: Please visit our website for current fee information. Fees do not include accommodation or travel to the various modules.

Key Facts

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The Programme

Part 1 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, which will include practice in the very successful Vanguard ‘Check’ methodology and the Cathedral Model of Leadership. Extensive use is made of electronic meetings and mentoring. An iPad, or other notebook, is recommended.

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

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 in the National Student Survey for student satisfaction since 2006.

The Philosophy of CI

The philosophy of this course is “learning by doing”. Most modules are designed around real-life situations in service organisations that demonstrate the concepts and theories of the module in action. Therefore, a considerable part of the programme is held on-site at service locations. Participants will gain in-depth practical experience by conducting a diagnostic and improvement kaizen that applies the learning outcomes and educational aims to solve real service issues.

Mentoring is an important part of learning about CI. 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.

The Modules 1. Foundations of Continuous Improvement 2. Leadership and Change 3. Systems for Continuous Improvement 4. Quality and Quality Management Systems 5. Management and Information Systems 6. Service Operations 7. Demand, Capacity and Flow 8. Innovation, and New Service Design

Part 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.

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

John Seddon Founder, Vanguard Consulting Frank Devine Founder, Accelerated Improvement David Howells Director, Renault-Nissan Consulting Philip Catherwood Master Black Belt, Welsh Government Rhian Hamer Master Black Belt, Head of Business Change, UK Ministry of Justice Glynis Caulfield MSc Lean, Commercial Operations manager, Unipart Rail Kate Silvester FRCOphth, Healthcare Consultant Denis Becker Global Master Black Belt, Gemalto and TWI Trainer Justin Watts MSc Lean, Six Sigma Black Belt and TWI Trainer, Service Excellence Lead at Lloyds Banking Group David Bovis Managing Director, Duxinaroe Darrell Mann Authority on TRIZ and Innovation

Visiting Faculty Professor Nick Rich Swansea University School of Management Dr Owen Jones Cardiff University PhD Tony Mizen Academi Wales, Welsh Govt

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Course Co-ordinators

A Typical ‘Hands-on On-site ModuleA typical hands-on, on-site module will comprise of a site visit and briefing by site managers followed by 2 days of lectures and discussion on the topic theory, with a blended learning approach of videos, games and real practical investigation, observation and analysis. During such times students work closely with lecturers (typically two) and together they work through real-life situations (not just case studies) and make improvement recommendations. Overnight there is often further reading and analysis with occasional guest lecturers. On the Friday a presentation is made to the management. The module concludes at around 3 pm

John Bicheno 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.

Dr Pauline Found, Course Director 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.

John Darlington is a widely respected consultant in the field of Lean and Theory of Constraints, having studied with Eli Goldratt and the Goldratt Institute. He worked with Goldratt engineers at Scheduling Technology Systems and later with the Kaizen Institute, ThinkFlow and Cardiff University Lean Enterprise Research Centre (LERC). John developed Flow Accounting and Big Picture Financial Mapping to examine where costs accumulate in the system due to poor decision-making and policies and has written a number of papers and book chapters in this field.

For more information on MSc in Continuous Improvement in Public Services at The University of Buckingham please contact:

Dr Pauline FoundEmail: pauline.found@buckingham.ac.uk

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

The University of Buckingham, Hunter Street, Buckingham, MK18 1EG, United Kingdom