What is the main goal for this project?

Our nonprofit is centered around a rather complex event that takes place at MIT every January, with plans for year round engagements in process. In a nutshell, we'd like a comprehensive model of our universe that encompasses internal operations for our event, which is comprised of numerous teams and subevents. We would also like this model to incorporate each of our fundraising inputs and expense outputs as well as our various partner organizations and collaborators within the ecosystem. We'd also like to get a view on our organization management in general and identify inefficiencies and recommend best practices based on comparable organizations within our sphere.

In this project, students will focus on evaluating our operations and identifying internal issues that are causing processes to be too timely or costly. 

• Mapping out operational processes using Business Process Model Notation and notation (BPMN), and evaluating each step and the resources it consumes.
• Identifying bottlenecks in our operational processes.
• Researching solutions to each unique problem identified in the mapping process.
• Creating a proposal with recommendations for improvements and an implementation plan for how we would incorporate the solutions.
• Creating a second BPMN model of operational processes with the proposed solution(s).

What tasks will learners need to complete to achieve the project goal?

How will you support learners in completing the project?

Students will connect directly with the employer for mentorship and supervision throughout the Students will connect directly with us for mentorship throughout the project. We will be able to provide answers to questions such as:

• Are there any bottlenecks we are currently aware of?
• Which aspects of our operational processes work well for us? Which do we want to change?
• Input on choices, problems or anything else the students might encounter..

By the end of the project, students should complete the following list of activities:

• Mapped our operational processes using BPMN and evaluated the resources spent on each step.
• Identified bottlenecks in our operational processes.
• Researched sustainable solutions to each bottleneck .
• Created a proposal with sustainable recommendations for improvement to each bottleneck and an implementation plan for rollout.

Bonus steps would include:

• Included an updated BPMN model with solutions implemented.

Final deliverables should include

• A proposal for sustainable strategies we can use to make our company more lean.
• A 30-minute presentation describing the research, reasoning, and suggested implementation for each strategy.
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Students will connect directly with us for mentorship throughout the project, and meet with the Executive Director 1-2 times per week as needed. We will be able to provide answers to questions such as:

• Our mission and vision statement
• Input on choices, problems or anything else the students might encounter.