Richard Wilson, a doctoral candidate in engineering management, will defend their dissertation titled “The Evolving Use of Strategic Planning Tools in the Manufacturing Environment: Implications for Quality 4.0 and Beyond.” Their advisor, Dr. Robert Marley, is Robert B. Koplar Professor of Engineering Management. Their co-advisor, Dr. Abhijit Gosavi, is a professor in the engineering management and systems engineering department. The dissertation abstract is provided below.

Having a strong strategic plan is critical for success for any business no matter the size of the organization, the product or service they provide, or the industry they serve. There are many methods businesses use to develop their strategic plans. One such method is known as Hoshin Kanri, which has been in use for decades. However, recent years have seen an increase in artificial intelligence, big data, data analytics, and other technology tools to create cyber physical systems on the manufacturing floor. The increase in technology in manufacturing to integrate cyber systems with physical systems spawned a new industrial revolution known as Industry 4.0. The application on Industry 4.0 to quality is referred to Quality 4.0. As a result, of this interconnectedness, more information is available faster for business leaders to access in order make sure the plan is still on course or to develop new strategic plans.

This research investigates the insights of industry professionals within the United States on how the concepts of Quality 4.0 will or potentially impact how strategic planning is conducted, the benefits of using Quality 4.0 in the strategic planning process, and if these technologies will impact the company’s core competencies and measures of competitiveness. This research provides three main contributions to the field. First, by providing factors for successful Hoshin Kanri implementation business leaders can incorporate these factors to improve their strategic planning process. Second, industry professionals now have tools on how to incorporate Quality 4.0 elements into their strategic planning process. Lastly, researchers can use and elaborate on the survey design procedure presented in this work to gather information from industry professionals.