Here is a sneak peek into my problem-solving class (the #1 skill set required of employers)

Here is the syllabus:

I send this email out before the first day of class…

Read: MGMT 381-0 – Please read email, attachments, & watch my video by May 10th.

MGMT 381-0 Students: 

Attached is the syllabus for MGMT 381-0.  Please take some time to read this by May 10th. Note, we will not have any face to face meetings as a class because of Covid 19.  However, I will be available any time for outdoor meetings at a local coffee shop if you are comfortable and interested.  I can often be found at Water Street Café on the corner of Oakland and Parkview (they have an outdoor patio).  I want to meet all of you and get to know you very well.  That way I can help be your mentor beyond the class. 

As you might already know, all of you will be doing a professional industry project in my MGMT 3810 class.  Typically, our first day of class would be us meeting in the classroom and me explaining the projects I have lined up with local companies.  I would then assign you a project and we would then meet onsite at a local company.  I basically handed students an internship and professional work experience to place on their resume.  Because of Covid 19, it is too early to go back into local companies and do face to face for all the projects (and some of you are not even in Kzoo).  However, worry not, we will be doing remote virtual projects (kind of like an internship) with our industry partners (e.g., Lacks, Bronson Hospital, Mann-Hummel, Lear, and Senneca). Yes, you will have a corporate work experience on your resume very soon as you look for an internship and/or full time job.  How cool is that?  All you have to do is work hard, and I know you will. 
 
So again, I hope you are looking forward to the semester and an opportunity that most college students nationally are not getting (a problem solving project with a real employer during Covid!).  I have taken the liberty of attaching your syllabus to this email message.  Also, you will not be required to buy any materials for the class since I will be emailing copies for you during the semester (enjoy the cost savings!).  So please read the syllabus ASAP.  You will be working on an industry project that will provide you with a professional work experience that will really change your life.  You will also be getting emails from me during the semester almost DAILY, so please check your “wmich.edu” email account DAILY.  We will not be formally and regularly using Elearning for this class (use your email).  Pretend I am your boss at work (you report to me).  Pretend we were just ordered to stay at home and work remotely because of Covid 19.  Manage your emails from me in a way that allows you to get the job done.  Most of the employers that recruit from the ISM program call me up to ask about students they interview.  This is your opportunity to shine and help me give you a glowing review when I get that phone call.  I will go the distance for you as long as you work hard and take this opportunity seriously.

You are majoring in something where demand vastly exceeds supply.  That means if you make great decisions the next 1-2 years you will have multiple great paying job offers waiting for you upon graduation.  I will spend the entire semester talking about how to make good decisions in this nationally ranked program.  This class will give you that work experience which will be gold when you talk about it during an interview for an internship or full-time position.  All you have to do is take it seriously and put forth a strong effort (which I know you will).  Very few undergraduate SCM programs offer this sort of opportunity to its undergraduate students (so get ready!). 

In this class, I hand you a project with a company which will look like an internship upon completion.  For those of you that already have a degree related job during the semester, you can still meet the requirements of this class.  You could meet the requirements of the class by working on a project with your employer. I can accommodate your situation.  To meet the requirements of this class, you would have to find a problem solving project at work that is outside of your current job scope.  You would have to come up with a project charter and have your manager approve it.  There are several examples of project charters in the syllabus (see page 14).  All I ask is that you use the A3 problem solving format for your final presentation (all the A3 material will be sent to you in a future email).  I hope this works for you.  You would simply plug away at the project while you are already there during the semester.  It is entirely your decision to do a team project with the other students or go solo with a project at your current employer.  Please just let me know if you would prefer to go solo and do your own thing rather than a group project.

Also,…

*Class participation will be a subjective assessment on my part, but it will depend largely on your professionalism.

I expect your attendance for virtual project meetings to be perfect.  If you cannot be perfect then you must make sure you communicate with me and your group members.  I will not tolerate any group members that do not do their part. You will be evaluating each other at the very end and I do not take those evaluations lightly.  I have actually had students that were fired by their group members during the semester for being lazy.  Yes, being fired by your group results in a failing grade.  Note, all of you currently have an A/4.0 in this class right now.  The majority of you will finish with an A/4.0 also. 

Outside of the project, you will be getting homework assignments via email.  All the “READ:” emails in the header will be HW assignments.  You are required to provide a thoughtful response back that bare minimum answers the questions I ask within the emails.  Also, I am seeking out if you have reached a point of being able to think like a SCM professional (my video lectures will help).  Note, that does not mean you have to agree with me.  Most of these simply require 1-15 minutes worth of reading and a one paragraph response back (at the most).  Show me that you can have an intelligent SCM conversation in these emails.  You will not be getting these emails until the first week of class.  Keep your emails professional with me and keep up with the emails.  When you are in the real world, you will get over 100 emails a day and you will be expected to respond to them in a timely and professional manner.  I expect the same.  Always start every email with me with:  “Hello Sime:” .  End every email with me by saying “Thank you.”.  Emails are not text messages.  People are going to judge your professional aptitude and capacity by your written correspondence.  So, avoid text acronyms such as “ttyl”, do not start emails with “hey”, do not call me “dude”, etc.  Pretend I am your professional supervisor and your career depends on my impression of you.  If you do all of this, you will notice that I will bend over backwards on your behalf while you are in college and beyond.  There is nothing more that I want than to help you live the Dream.

Note, some of you have already gotten too sloppy and too informal with me on written correspondence. 

Subject: Resume ideas for your projects
   
MGMT 381-0 Students:
 
Here is an idea of what you might add to your resume regarding your industry projects.  You could wait until the projects are completed to place these professional experiences on your resume.  That would be the more prudent thing to do.  However, you might also decide to place them on your resume once you know the details of your projects (and you could say “May 2021 – present” for timing).  I would place it between your Education and Work Experience section.  Technically, this is a class project and not a work experience.  At the same time, it goes beyond a traditional classroom experience.  See attached resume for ideas also.
 
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
 
Lear Corporation;  Kalamazoo, MI, Shop Floor Control,
Project-Based Course and Virtual Remote Project:
January 2021 – present

•   Analyzed information from the shop floor control system for the fabrication and powdercoat teams in order to develop metrics for supplier performance
•   Project deliverables included lead times by part number (minus standard deviations), on-time delivery metrics, and average standard part number (by work order, operator, & work center)
•   Project steps involved data sorting and methodology & flow chart development
 
Another resume idea example…

Professional Experience
 
Project-Based Course – Lear Corporation:  Kalamazoo, MI, Supplier Reduction

January 2021 – present
•        Analyzed indirect suppliers to ensure all suppliers were preferred supplier in supplier base
•        Reduced indirect MRO suppliers through standardization of purchasing process
•        Created a database system to classify and organize information regarding indirect suppliers
•        Restructured indirect material purchasing processes to ensure proper purchasing procedures.

Another resume idea example…

PROFESSIONAL COURSEWORK (Lear Corp., Kalamazoo, MI) June 2020 – Sept. 2020
Ø        Learned the procedure of how to make a legal contract between two parties (group work)
Ø        Worked in groups and played the role of a manufacturer who has to negotiate with its supplier
Ø        Met regularly with Lear to discuss the current progress, pros and cons and new possibilities
Ø        Gave a final presentation of the contract and on the experience with Lear

Also, how many of you have used SrimmageSim in Dr. Wagner’s courses (MGMT 3200 or 4640)?  If so, could you add this to your resume?…

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Ø  ScrimmageSim;  Kalamazoo, MI, Project-Based Course:   Summer of 2020

• Participated in a business simulation using ScrimmageSim, which is a new business simulation designed to operate just like a major ERP system (e.g., SAP, Oracle, etc.).  
• Participated in both individual and group scenarios that required the integration of operations, sales and investment decisions (both strategic and operational) to maximize company profit.
  
  Most of you are under selling your skill sets and experiences on your resumes.  We will try to fix that. 

Many employers will look at your resume and determine what you did with your time during the year of covid (2020-21).  If they are impressed, they will call you in for an interview.  Let’s make that happen.

For now, read your syllabus and watch the video below.  The video below is from my MGMT 2800 Intro to SCM class.  Most of you did not have me for MGMT 2800.  I have the students watch it at the end of the semester to prepare them for this class (MGMT 3810).  This video will explain key concepts and what to expect in our class.

Please watch before May 10th:

Also, please watch to understand my general expectations:

Thank you and I look forward to a great semester with you.  Let’s kick covid in the arse. 

Sime