8000 Boteler Lane
College Park, MD20740
December 14, 2007
Ms. Rachel Cohen
RobertH.SmithSchool of Business
3570 H Van Munching Hall
College Park, MD20740
Dear Ms. Cohen:
I am pleased to present my final proposal to improve work space resources for QUEST Honors Fellows students. As we discussed in September, the program’s current work space offerings deserved study. The dedicated resource that currently exists in the IBM TQ-Tools Lab is commendable; however, the team-based nature of QUEST student work presents a unique set of challenges to address.
After learning that QUEST leadership was interested in knowing more about this topic, I studied the situation through observation, research, surveys and interviews. My analysis has led to actionable and cost-effective solutions. The enclosed proposal reviews the problem and identifies potential solutions as well as addressing the personnel and budget required for implementation. An executive summary, detailed analysis and supporting documentation are included for your review.
I am happy to answer any questions you have about this analysis and proposal. As a graduating senior, I am also interested in ways to remain involved with the program and would be happy to help with implementation over the course of the spring semester. Please feel free to contact me by email . Thank you very much for your time.
Regards,
Attachments: Proposal
Proposal to Improve Work Space Resources in the
Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams (QUEST)
Honors Fellows Program
14 December 2007
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary…………………………………………………………….….…4
II. Problem………………………………………………………………………..…….7
Current Resources……………………………………………………….….….7
Quality of Resources…………………………………………………….……..8
Availability Concerns…………………………...…………………….….…….9
III. Solution………………………………………………………………………..……9
Access to Group Meeting Areas…….……………………………………….…9
Manage Demand for Resources…….…………………………………….……10
Professionally Equipped Work Space…….……………………………………11
IV. Personnel…………………………………………………..……………………….12
V. Budget……………………………………………………………………………….12
VI. Appendix
A. Sample Survey Form………………………………………………...………14
B. Overall Survey Response Data……………………………………….……..15
C. Survey Response Analysis…………………………………………….……..16
Figure 1, Figure2……………………………………………….……..17
Figure 3, Figure 4……………………………………………….……..18
Figure 5, Figure 6……………………………………………….……..19
D. Budget Details………………………………………………………..……..20
E. IBM TQ-Tools Lab Photographs……………………………………………21
Executive Summary: Proposal to Improve Work Space Resources in the Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams (QUEST) Honors Fellows Program
Over the course of the fall semester, I have analyzed the work space resources which the QUEST Honors Fellows Program provides for its student members. I have prepared a plan to implement my recommendations, which address key concerns of current QUEST students.
Problem
The real-world, team-based nature of QUEST student work requires access to work space resources beyond those available to the general student. The program’s current space is useful but can be improved. Student concerns center around two key themes: quality and availability.
Quality
- Students must sign non-disclosure agreements because they analyze sensitive information about external organizations. The current work space is a shared resource among many student teams.
- Team projects require collaboration. The current work space is best suited to facilitate individual work.
- Teams need to produce professional-quality deliverables for real-world clients. Access to properly equipped work space is important to support team needs.
Availability
- The major deliverables for several required QUEST courses frequently coincide with and produce an irregularly high demand for work space.
- Current resources exist solely in Van Munching Hall on the southwest quadrant of the University campus. Engineering and CMPS students lack access to work space close to their colleges.
Solution
Solving the work space needs of QUEST students consists of three main steps: providing access to group meeting areas across campus, managing student demands for work space and offering professionally-equipped work space.
Access to Group Meeting Areas
- Educate students on the current methods of reserving work space in the Smith School of Business (Smith), A. James Clark School of Engineering (Clark) and College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CMPS). The knowledge of resources available to all undergraduates will give students the ability to work in alternate venues.
- Coordinate with Smith, Clark and CMPS to grant additional work space resource access to QUEST students. As honors students, members should be able to make use of underused team rooms, labs and equipment currently restricted to graduate students or faculty.
- Develop an online work space reservation system for integration into the QNet online community. Development could be a simple task as room reservations in Smith are already computerized.
Manage Demand for Resources
- Schedule key deliverables for Introduction to Design & Quality and The Total Quality Practicum to occur at different times during the semester. These students’ similar work space needs force students to compete for limited resources.
- Schedule teamwork-oriented courses during different semesters if the previous solution does not sufficiently level demand.
Professionally Equipped Work Space
- Repair existing equipment to a serviceable state. Several items of key equipment in the IBM TQ Tools Lab, such as the sole printer, are becoming worn and failing to operate properly.
- Offer additional resources in the IBM TQ-Tools Lab such as a multifunction color laser printer and basic office supplies.
- Provide access to professional meeting space and communications tools for interaction with external entities. Teams often find it challenging to communicate professionally with clients as current work space is focused on facilitating internal, analytical work.
Personnel
No additional personnel will be necessary to implement the aforementioned solutions. QUEST staff has demonstrated its ability to manage a dedicated computer lab and develop an interactive website; the implementation of this proposal will be easily accomplished by you and Nicole Cottrell, Program Manager, based on those prior experiences.
Budget
Aside from equipment repairs and investment, implementing the proposed solutions will incur no extra cost to the QUEST program. Most of the recommendations involve changes in policy and cooperation with existing systems; these solutions cost nothing.
Three of the recommendations, however, require a justifiable investment as summarized below:
- Develop an online room reservation tool for QNet$1,000
- Repair existing equipment to a serviceable state: $1,103
- Offer equipment in the IBM TQ-Tools Lab: $1,093
These costs are reasonable because they support the work of 225 QUEST students per year and will cost only $20.60 per student. Details of these expenses are available in the full report.
Detailed Report: Proposal to Improve Work Space Resources in the Quality Enhancement Systems and Teams (QUEST) Honors Fellows Program
Over the course of the fall semester, I have analyzed the work space resources which the QUEST Honors Fellows Program currently provides to its student members. I have identified the key concerns of students. As the result of my work, this report details those concerns and the solutions which address them at a reasonable cost.
Problem
Students in the QUEST program are challenged with a curriculum unique among undergraduates at this University: to solve problems at real-world organizations. As you know, students work in self-directed interdisciplinary teams to address these issues. The success of this team-based format requires access to work space resources beyond those available to the general student. The program’s current offerings are useful but can be improved. The section below details current resources as well as key concerns regarding the quality of QUEST work space and its availability.
Current Resources
The primary resource currently available to QUEST students is the IBM TQ Tools Lab. Located in Van Munching Hall, the Lab measures approximately 425 square feet and is rated for occupancy by twenty-five people. It is equipped with both technology and basic collaborative resources.
An inventory of the Lab was conducted in November 2007 for this report. The technology offerings include twelve networked Dell OptiPlex workstations, all equipped with a full range of specialized software (including Microsoft Project, Visio, statistics and business analysis tools), and a Hewlett-Packard 4250tn monochrome laser printer. Other work tools include:
Page 1
- Three staplers (broken)
- Four extra task chairs (worn)
- Two 48” square work tables
- One metal bookshelf
- One chalk board (obscured by workstations)
- One bulletin board
- Two dry erase boards and markers
Page 1
The Lab is a good resource for suppotring the analysis component that is a part of every QUEST project. Student teams have unique needs, however, which the Lab fails to meet. The shortcomings of the current work space were apparent in a survey of frequent lab patrons, which found mild dissatisfaction as shown on this page in Figure 1. These students rated their satisfaction with QUEST work space resources as an average 2.83 out of 5.00, where 5.00 is “very satisfied.” As this group is the most likely to be pleased with the resource offerings (considering their continuing usage), a significant gap is likely to exist between the utility of the Lab and the needs of all QUEST students.
Quality Concerns
A number of concerns exist regarding the appropriateness of the space which the program currently provides. Survey respondents had equal concerns in the three areas shown in Figure 2; namely, that the current space is inappropriate, that the current space is poorly equipped, and that the equipment which the space does have is in poor condition.
A remarkable attribute of QUEST projects is that students must sign legally binding non-disclosure agreements with their clients. Because students analyze sensitive information about external organizations, this requirement is reasonable. The program does not, however, offer any areas in which teams can discuss information privately. The Lab is a shared resource for many student teams. This shortcoming leads to potential information security risks as groups meet amongst others in the Lab or other ad-hoc areas on campus.
The collaborative nature of team work creates another noteworthy demand on QUEST work space. Aside from the private nature of project information, collaboration is an intrusive activity. Brainstorming and cooperative analysis are noisy and distracting to others. The current work space is focused on facilitating individual work; it provides a large number of computer workstations in a relatively small room. The consensus among students is that the Lab can support no more than one or two student teams at a time. This limitation often leaves many individual students and project groups with no usable work space.
Exposure to organizations outside the University is a valuable part of the QUEST experience. As part of this external contact, however, project groups must present a professional image through high-quality deliverables and reliable communication channels. The Lab does provide access to some essential office tools such as computer workstations and productivity software. But students remarked both on the unserviceable condition of some resources as well as an unmet need for the standard range of office tools such as basic supplies and telecommunications equipment. Meeting these needs at one’s personal expense was a common student experience and is generally regarded as an opportunity for improvement in the effectiveness of the program’s work space.
Availability Concerns
As you know, the QUEST curriculum requires that its two hundred members complete five courses over the span of three years. Two of the compulsory courses – “Introduction to Design and Quality” and “The Total Quality Practicum” – are scheduled simultaneously during the fall semester for students of different ages. These courses are analytical, project-centric and team-based; their similarities result in competing need for limited work space. This irregularly high demand often overloads the capacity of the Lab. This variable demand is a major driver in the concerns of survey respondents as shown in Figure 3. Project teams cope by trying to create ad-hoc meeting space in classrooms, hallways or residence halls. The fact that teams are often unable to find suitable space is a key complaint.
As an interdisciplinary program, QUEST must be concerned with the needs of students from the Smith School of Business (Smith), A. James Clark School of Engineering (Clark) and College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CMPS) despite the distant geographical location of these schools. The program currently offers work space solely in Van Munching Hall on the southwest quadrant of the University campus. Clark and CMPS students lack access to work space close to their colleges and must travel 0.80 miles and 1.05 miles, respectively, to utilize the Lab in Van Munching Hall. Surveys and interviews revealed that the primary concern of non-Smith students is the availability of team work space across campus rather than the lack of dedicated labs in each member school.
Solution
I propose a three-faceted approach to addressing the work space needs of QUEST students: providing access to group meeting areas across campus, managing student demands for work space and offering professionally-equipped work space.
Access to Group Meeting Areas
Student groups need access to private meeting areas. As shown in Figure 4 on the following page, nearly half of all survey respondents stated a demand for more space. To accomplish this goal, I propose a three-tier approach. These alternatives offer increasing levels of benefit according to the difficulty of their implementation.
The first step is to educate QUEST students about the resources available to them. Students need to know more about what work space is available for general undergraduate use in Smith, Clark and CMPS. They also need to learn the process for reserving these spaces. Publicizing this information should take place through in-class announcements as well as postings on the QNet website. Knowledge of these pre-existing resources will reduce demand for dedicated work space, such as the IBM TQ Tools Lab, by enabling teams to meet in alternate, underutilized venues.
The second step is to grant additional work space resource privileges to QUEST students. QUEST staff should reach out to the Smith, Clark and CMPS schools to implement these policy changes. Some resistance to trusting undergraduates with these restricted resources may be encountered. But, as you know, members of the program are honors students whose QUEST assignments confront themwith graduate-level challenges. These students should be able to make use of underutilized team rooms, labs and equipment currently dedicated to graduate students or faculty.
The final step in facilitating access to group meeting areas is to develop an online work space reservation system. This system should be implemented as a new feature of the QNet website. While this solution will not increase the number of spaces available, it will make reserving those spaces easier. This solution may be quite simple to implement as room reservations within Smith are already computerized using Lotus Notes. QUEST would not have to develop an original reservations system. Instead, the program could reach out to its computer science member students to build an interface between the pre-existing system and the QNet interface. If a fully integrated interface is not feasible within the budget allotted, then the same effect could be achieved by simply linking through to the existing system at
Manage Demand for Resources
As discussed earlier, the concurrent scheduling of courses such as “Introduction to Design & Quality” (BMGT190H) and “The Total Quality Practicum” (BMGT490H) has led to periods of exceptional demand for work space when project teams in multiple courses have simultaneous deliverables due. In preparation for next school year, QUEST leaders should coordinate the syllabi of various courses which may rely upon the Lab. The program can make more efficient use of existing resources by leveling demand in this way.
In case the previous solution can not sufficiently solve the problem, the program should schedule teamwork-oriented courses during different semesters. Currently, both Introduction to Design & Quality and The Total Quality Practicum are offered exclusively in the fall semester. One of these courses should be rescheduled to the spring semester in order to reduce concurrent demand for resources.
Professionally Equipped Work Space
An inventory of the IBM TQ Tools Lab revealed that equipment is worn and needs maintenance. The printer, a Hewlett-Packard 4250tn, has several problems including a non-functional secondary paper tray and frequent paper jams that occur for no apparent reason. Survey respondents reported that several computer workstations were not functional. The staplers are all broken and chairs are starting to break. The Lab is a heavily utilized resource. It is also a small work space for a large number of students. Maintaining the Lab in good operating conditionis essential in order to support the needs of project teams.
The first step in maintaining the Lab is to document all the current problems. Then you should research the service options available forthe program’s current technology resources. For cost purposes in this proposal, I have included the cost of a 12-month manufacturer’s on-site service contract for the printer and two workstations. In addition to the technology repairs, the staplers must be replaced with basic but reliable models. The replacement of several task chairs is necessary as well.
Survey respondents expressed a need for additional office supplies and technology in the IBM TQ Tools Lab. The full range of tools normally available in the office environment should be stocked in the Lab for project use. These items should be kept in the Lab on an honor system because student schedules and deadlines often lead to project work being conducted far outside of normal business hours. The first step in stocking the lab would be to assess what items are most necessary. Second, an honor system policy should be written and posted and, finally, the Lab should be stocked with supplies.