Ontwerpmethodolgie - EBB052A05

(Design Methodology)
Course Book Winter 2015

Course short name: Ontwerpmethodologie

Contact for questions: dr. H. Balsters (h.balsters@rug.nl)
Secretary: secr.operations.feb@rug.nl
Primary lecturers: dr. H. Balsters and dr. D.J. van der Zee
Tutorial Instructors: prof. dr. C.T.B. Ahaus, drs. F. Bakker, dr. N.B.
Szirbik
Period: February 2015 April 2015
Study load: 5 ECTS

1. Objectives and content

The course Design Methodology describes the theory and practice of thinking in
terms of systems, models, processes, and control flow. This type of Systems- and
Process Thinking is applied in analyzing business processes, in determining
necessary information flows, and in (re-)designing of organizational structures. Part
1 of this course handles the theory and practice of Systems- and Process Thinking,
including the principles of Design Methodology (the so-called Regulative Cycle). Part
2 concerns a further detailed treatment of the Regulative Cycle, taking examples
from practice.

After successfully completing the course, the students will be able to:

explain the basics of Systems- and Process Thinking

describe an organization as a system with input-output behavior according to

the principles of Systems- and Process Thinking

explain and apply the so-called Regulative Cycle (a particular sequence of

design steps)

2. Lecturers
Dr. H. Balsters Lecturer
Dr. H. Balsters is an associate professor in Design of Information Systems at the Faculty
of Economics and Business within the University of Groningen. His research focus is on
information system integration and interoperability, with an emphasis on information
analysis and conceptual design. Before joining the University of Groningen he was an
associate professor at the TU Twente, and a researcher at the TU Eindhoven.

Dr. D.J. van der Zee Lecturer

Dr. D.J. van der Zee is an associate professor of Operations at the Faculty of Economics
and Business, Department of Operations, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. He
teaches in the areas of operations management and industrial engineering. His research
interests include simulation methodology and applications, simulation & serious gaming,
manufacturing planning & control, and health care logistics.

3. Literature
The course is based on chapters 1-6 of the book:
Analyse van Bedrijfsprocessen, M. in t Veld en B. Slatius, 10e druk, Noordhoff Uitgevers,
2010
We will also use the following supplementary literature concerning Design Science:

How to Write and Read a Scientific Evaluation Paper; Wieringa, R.J.; Heerkens,
J.M.G., Regnell, B.;17th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference,
2009.

Designing Requirements Engineering Research; Wieringa, R.J., Heerkens, J.M.G..;

Workshop on Comparative Evaluation in Requirements Engineering (CERE'07),
IEEE Computer Society, 2007.

Writing a Report About Design Research; Wieringa, R.; University of Twente, The
Netherlands, 2007

Towards a Methodology of Psychological Practice, the Regulative; P. van Strien;

Theory and Psychology, 1997.

4. Workload
The workload of the course consists of:

6 optional lectures of 3 lecture hours each

4 Question and Answer (Q&A) sessions

A mandatory written Exam after the first 3 lectures

3 mandatory tutorial assignments

A Resit Exam (in case overall grade < 5.5)

5. Lecture Schedule (start: week 6)

1. Introduction to Systems Thinking and System Descriptions
2. Process Control
3. Process Modelling and Steady-State Systems
4. Design Science and the Regulative Cycle
5. Analysis of a As-Is System
6. The Design and Validation of a To-Be System
The first 4 lectures are given by H. Balsters, and the remaining 2 lectures are given by D.J.
van der Zee. All lectures are optional, though highly advised to follow, since otherwise it
will be very difficult to pass the exam and perform the tutorial assignments.

6. Question and Answering (Q&A) Sessions

In week 7 on Wednesday, there is a Q&A session as a preparation facility for the

exam in week 8

In weeks 9, 10, and 11, there will be a Q&A session (on the Wednesdays) as a
preparation facility for the tutorials to be held in weeks 10, 11, and 12,
respectively

7. Tutorials

Tutorials are mandatory for each student; i.e. individual presence at tutorials and
submitting solutions to tutorial assignments as a team effort

The tutorials start in week 10

There are 3 tutorial sessions

Each tutorial consists of 2 hours (of 45 minutes)

During a tutorial, student teams offer their presentation of a solution to the

tutorial assignment that was handed out in the week prior to that tutorial

The tutorial assignment is handed out during the lecture in the week prior to the
tutorial

A student team consists of 4 students

A presentation will consist of a 20-minute power point presentation, followed by

a 10-minute Q&A-session (questions to be posed by the student audience and
the Tutorial Instructor)

A presentation shall consist of 15 slides, including notes for each individual slide,
and possibly supplemented by a report (to be indicated by the assignment).

In each tutorial there will be up to 3 presentations in total

Each presentation (and possibly a report) will be graded by the Tutorial

Instructor

Each team shall submit their ppt-presentation for a specific assignment before
the second Wednesday 12:00 after that assignment was handed out.

Each team will accordingly have submitted 3 ppt-presentations, and have

actually presented one

8. Exam, Resit Exam, and Final Grading

8.1 On Monday February 16th, there will be an individual Exam (MC) covering
the material treated in calendar weeks 6 and 7 of the course (chapters 1-3,
and 5-6 of the book, along with the slides presented at the first three
lectures); feedback on the Exam gradings is organized by the Lecturers.
8.2 A student team will be offered 2 grades: one for each tutorial assignment in
the week that that team does not offer an actual presentation. For each
assignment specific criteria are set for grading, see the respective
assignments.
8.3 Each individual member of a student team will also get a grade in the week
in which the team of that student offers an actual tutorial presentation;
that grade will be based on the submitted ppt-presentation (the slides, cf.
8.2) and the quality of presentation of that individual student. Criteria
adopted for grading presentation quality are clarity of explanation and
argumentation.
8.4 The final grade for the an individual student for the tutorial part is
calculated by adding up the grades in 8.2 together with 2 * the grade of 8.3,
and that total will then be divided by 4.
8.5 Feedback on tutorial gradings is organized by the Tutorial Instructor.
8.6 A course grade can only be obtained, when a student has done both the
Exam and has participated in the Tutorials (cf. section 7)
8.7 The course grade is calculated by (0.4 * Exam grade) + (0.6 * Tutorial grade).

8.8 In order to pass for the course, both the Exam grade and the Tutorial grade
is at least 5.5; in the case that a student has passed the course, the final
course grade is calculated by rule 8.7
8.9 Should a student not have an Exam grade or an Exam grade lower than a
5.5, then that student can do a separate individual (written) Resit Exam for
the Exam part.
8.10 A Resit Exam for the Tutorial part, is only allowed for students who have
completed the Tutorial part, and have a Tutorial grade lower than a 5.5
8.11 In the case of a Resit Exam for the Tutorial part (cf. 8.10), the final grade
for the Tutorial part after the Resit is at most a 5.5.
8.12 Feedback on Resit Exam grading is organized by the Lecturers.
8.13 Should a student that has not passed the course, choose not to do a Resit
Exam, then the final course grade is equal to the lowest grade of the Exam
and Tutorial part.
8.14 In the case that a student did not pass the course, any sufficient grade
(i.e., larger or equal to 5.5) obtained for the Tutorial part remains valid till
that academic year directly following the year that the student obtained
that grade.