The Integration Project
The MMM coursework culminates in an Integration Project, which involves applying specific knowledge of design and operations together with general knowledge of business to address a real world problem of importance to a client. Students work in teams of 4 – 6 students with the aid of a faculty mentor to provide practical guidance to an industrial client. Usually this requires a visit to the company site at both the beginning and end of the project, plus a formal final report and presentation, often to very senior executives at the client company. Over the years, many clients have found great value in the projects, often implementing them within their companies. Similarly, MMM students enjoy the opportunity to apply their knowledge and experience to work.
Because the Integration Project is meant to integrate knowledge acquired throughout the MMM program, it is ideally done as late as possible in the two year curriculum in order to have as wide and deep a base as possible. The MMM program directors work with the MMM advisory board and other industry representatives to provide effective, compelling projects, primarily in the Winter quarter of the second year. However, if course schedules, foreign study, and other activities make the Winter quarter a difficult time for some students, the Integration Project can also be done in the fall or spring quarters of the second year with prior approval by the MMM directors.
In addition to MMM Integration Projects, Kellogg offers a number of experiential learning programs, which may serve as integration projects. However, in these cases MMM directors’ approval is required: Any proposed substitution must be requested and approved in advance prior to the completion of the fall quarter of the second year.
An operations project should focus on process management with the goal of producing and delivering products and services to satisfy customer needs for a competitive advantage. It should address issues of measurement and improvement of the process capability, efficiency, flexibility, and capacity to produce and deliver high quality, low cost, wide variety and fast response products and services. The project may be conducted in manufacturing or service, for profit or nonprofit, private or public organizations.
Design projects must involve substantive amounts of design activities. These activities can consist of field observations, root-cause analysis (determining the real problem to be solved), ideation, specification, development and deployment. The projects can cover products, services, or company organization and processes. The project might also involve the management of design activities or of a product or service project, especially if it entails a multidisciplinary team.
Questions about the fit of a proposed project to either design or operation should be addressed to the relevant director (Professor Deshmukh for Operations, Professor Norman for Design) and Associate Director Steven Fischer.
