Utilizing IE student teams to improve management engineering success

Session
Academic

Authors
John Cook
North Dakota State University

Laura English
North Dakota State University

Abstract
Learn how to utilize industrial engineering student teams to benefit your management engineering efforts. This presentation will provide practical advice to assist you in determining:

What you can expect when partnering with IE student teams
What types of projects should be chosen
What you need to do to improve project success
What resources will be required

An actual student project case will be presented to highlight expectations and outcomes from three perspectives: the project client, the students, and university faculty assisting the project. Students utilized PDAs to perform work measurement, documenting the initial state of an internal medicine department at a regional health care system. The primary objective of the three-month project was to clearly measure and communicate the initial state condition including tasks and performance times for providers, nurses, and patients. The project client was provided actual initial state empirical data and student recommendations to facilitate decisions for a future facility redesign project. Students benefited by being immersed in the health care setting to understand the challenges and opportunities for management engineering. The project demonstrates how student project teams can extend and improve management engineering efforts.