Request for Proposal ListingsLean Culture, Coaching & Leadership (OSCM 405)

Lean Culture, Coaching & Leadership (OSCM 405)

Ferris State University
Lean Culture, Coaching & Leadership (OSCM 405)
01/19/2026 to 05/01/2026
Lisa Eshbach
Collaboration Overview
About Students
Students in OSCM 405: Lean Culture, Coaching & Leadership are upper-level operations and supply chain majors trained in Lean methodologies, process coaching, and leadership behaviors that support continuous improvement cultures. They have completed earlier Lean coursework and now focus on applying TWI (Training Within Industry) methods, coaching techniques, standardized work development, waste identification, and culture-building frameworks. 

These students are prepared to investigate operational challenges, assess human-centric process barriers, and develop recommendations that support behavioral adoption of Lean systems. Their blend of technical process knowledge and people-focused leadership training enables them to deliver solutions that are practical, implementable, and grounded in proven Lean principles.
About Program Goals
This experience strengthens students’ ability to: 

  • Apply Lean leadership models to diagnose cultural barriers and organizational behaviors

  • Use TWI methods (Job Instruction, Job Methods, Job Relations, Program Development, Job Safety) and lean process improvement tools (e.g., A3, Hoshin Kanri, Visual Management, 5S, etc.) to develop structured training and improvement plans

  • Coach frontline and supervisory staff in ways that enable ownership of process change

  • Analyze processes with a human-centric lens to identify where culture and behavior impact performance

  • Translate observations into clear, actionable recommendations with supporting documentation

  • Communicate findings effectively through professional presentations and written reports

  • Collaborate with an industry partner as an external “consulting team” working toward measurable impact
About the Collaboration Format
Class project framed as a live case study for one or more student teams to work on.
Benefits for Industry Partners
Why Participate?
Partnering with OSCM 405 offers companies a rare opportunity to receive structured, unbiased analysis focused specifically on culture, coaching, leadership, and frontline process adoption—areas that often stall Lean transformations. 

Ideal Outcomes for Industry Partners: 

  • Fresh, external insight into cultural and behavioral challenges limiting operational performance.

  • Multiple competing solution pathways developed by independent student teams.

  • Lean coaching recommendations grounded in TWI and continuous improvement methods.

  • Documentation support such as improved work instructions, training aids, or coaching plans.

  • A low-risk way to explore new ideas, validate assumptions and  test potential Lean initiatives using the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata methods.

  • A talent pipeline of students trained in operational excellence, change leadership, and culture-driven problem solving.

  • Meaningful community engagement by helping students gain real-world consulting experience while addressing a real organizational need.
Program Details

Students Include: Bachelor Degree

Students Enrolled:  Students Enrolled

Program Duration: 14 weeks

Program Launch Date: 01/19/26

Program End Date: 05/01/26

Student Commitment: 4-7 Hours hrs/week

Course Format: Live Case, Multiple Projects Multiple Teams

Modality: Fully Remote

# of Projects: 1

View All Program Details

Project Requirements

Industry Partner Requirements
Project Topics Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata Inventory Management Leadership Lean Systems and Process Improvement Operational Performance and Metrics Operations Organizational Culture Strategic Planning Training & Development
Location Preferences

Located Anywhere

Compensation

No Compensation Required

Sponsorship

Sponsorship Requested (Optional):

Pre-Revenue Startup a contribution amount between $ to $

Growth Startup a contribution amount between $ to $

Small to Medium Business a contribution amount between $ to $

Large Enterprise a contribution amount between $ to $

Government Organization a contribution amount between $ to $

Non-Profit a contribution amount between $ to $

Other Requirements
Industry partners should be willing to: 

  • Participate in weekly or bi-weekly check-ins

  • Provide project context, data, and access needed for informed analysis

  • Offer timely feedback to keep teams aligned and productive
Project Management Time Commitment 2 Hours per week
Interested Industries Aerospace & Defense Agriculture & Farming Arts & Recreation Biotech & Pharmaceuticals Computers & Hardware Construction, Repair & Maitenance Consulting & Professional Services Consumer Products & Services Education & Ed-Tech Energy & Utilities Fashion & Apparel Finance & Investment Food & Beverage Government Health Care & Life Sciences Insurance Manufacturing & Industrial Media, Publishing & Content Natural Resources Non-Profit & Social Impact Public Works Real Estate Restaurants, Hospitality & Food Service Retail & E-Commerce Semiconductor Software, AI & Data Sports & Entertainment Telecommunications Transportation & Logistics Travel & Tourism
Skills & Expertise
Analytical Reasoning Change Management Client Engagement Critical Thinking Cultural Competency Data Interpretation Facilitation Skills Leadership Lean Lean Systems Organizational Assessment Presentation Design Problem Solving Process Improvement Professional Writing Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Stakeholder Analysis Strategic Planning Strategy Team Collaboration Training and Development
Key Program Dates Due Date
Request for Proposal published

Collaboration request published. Industry Partners may express interest in participating.

Nov 13 2025, 06:03 PM UTC
Interview

Educators will begin interviewing interested Industry Partners to discuss project ideas.

Nov 19 2025, 06:03 PM UTC
Proposal Application Deadline

Final date for Industry Partners to express interest in participating.

Dec 29 2025, 06:03 PM UTC
Finalize Project Charter

Educators and Industry Partners finalize project charters, legal documents, and background materials.

Jan 05 2026, 06:03 PM UTC
Official Program Launch

We’ll find a time on this day for you to meet with the students to kick off your project.

Jan 19 2026
Official Program End

We’ll find a time on this day for you to meet with the students to wrap up your project.

May 01 2026

* We’ve got some inspirational project ideas below! These are related project topics that you can mix and match the components for the best cross-functional project experience possible.

See Examples
?

Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata

See Examples

Inventory Management

See Examples
?

Leadership

See Examples
?

Lean Systems and Process Improvement

See Examples
?

Operational Performance and Metrics

See Examples

Operations

See Examples

Organizational Culture

See Examples

Strategic Planning

See Examples

Training & Development

Program Overview
Program Title Lean Culture, Coaching & Leadership (OSCM 405)
Organization Ferris State University
# of Students Enrolled
0
# of Projects Running
1 Project/s Added (of 1 Project Expected)

Program Timeline

Project Duration

Start Date: 01/19/26      End Date: 05/01/26

3 months
Collaboration Overview
About Students

Students in OSCM 405: Lean Culture, Coaching & Leadership are upper-level operations and supply chain majors trained in Lean methodologies, process coaching, and leadership behaviors that support continuous improvement cultures. They have completed earlier Lean coursework and now focus on applying TWI (Training Within Industry) methods, coaching techniques, standardized work development, waste identification, and culture-building frameworks. 

These students are prepared to investigate operational challenges, assess human-centric process barriers, and develop recommendations that support behavioral adoption of Lean systems. Their blend of technical process knowledge and people-focused leadership training enables them to deliver solutions that are practical, implementable, and grounded in proven Lean principles.

Student Level:   Bachelor Degree

Student Time Commitment:   Full Time

Team Structure:   3 - 6

Program Goals
This experience strengthens students’ ability to: 

  • Apply Lean leadership models to diagnose cultural barriers and organizational behaviors

  • Use TWI methods (Job Instruction, Job Methods, Job Relations, Program Development, Job Safety) and lean process improvement tools (e.g., A3, Hoshin Kanri, Visual Management, 5S, etc.) to develop structured training and improvement plans

  • Coach frontline and supervisory staff in ways that enable ownership of process change

  • Analyze processes with a human-centric lens to identify where culture and behavior impact performance

  • Translate observations into clear, actionable recommendations with supporting documentation

  • Communicate findings effectively through professional presentations and written reports

  • Collaborate with an industry partner as an external “consulting team” working toward measurable impact
Format Structure

Multiple Projects Multiple Teams
Format Title Live Case
Format Description
Class project framed as a live case study for one or more student teams to work on.
Benefits For Industry Partners
Why Participate?
Partnering with OSCM 405 offers companies a rare opportunity to receive structured, unbiased analysis focused specifically on culture, coaching, leadership, and frontline process adoption—areas that often stall Lean transformations. 

Ideal Outcomes for Industry Partners: 

  • Fresh, external insight into cultural and behavioral challenges limiting operational performance.

  • Multiple competing solution pathways developed by independent student teams.

  • Lean coaching recommendations grounded in TWI and continuous improvement methods.

  • Documentation support such as improved work instructions, training aids, or coaching plans.

  • A low-risk way to explore new ideas, validate assumptions and  test potential Lean initiatives using the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata methods.

  • A talent pipeline of students trained in operational excellence, change leadership, and culture-driven problem solving.

  • Meaningful community engagement by helping students gain real-world consulting experience while addressing a real organizational need.
Project Modality Fully Remote
Industry Partner Requirements to Participate
Project Topics Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata Inventory Management Leadership Lean Systems and Process Improvement Operational Performance and Metrics Operations Organizational Culture Strategic Planning Training & Development
Target Industries Aerospace & Defense Agriculture & Farming Arts & Recreation Biotech & Pharmaceuticals Computers & Hardware Construction, Repair & Maitenance Consulting & Professional Services Consumer Products & Services Education & Ed-Tech Energy & Utilities Fashion & Apparel Finance & Investment Food & Beverage Government Health Care & Life Sciences Insurance Manufacturing & Industrial Media, Publishing & Content Natural Resources Non-Profit & Social Impact Public Works Real Estate Restaurants, Hospitality & Food Service Retail & E-Commerce Semiconductor Software, AI & Data Sports & Entertainment Telecommunications Transportation & Logistics Travel & Tourism
Skills & Expertise Analytical Reasoning Change Management Client Engagement Critical Thinking Cultural Competency Data Interpretation Facilitation Skills Leadership Lean Lean Systems Organizational Assessment Presentation Design Problem Solving Process Improvement Professional Writing Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Stakeholder Analysis Strategic Planning Strategy Team Collaboration Training and Development
Location Information & Preferences

Located Anywhere

Sponsorship

Sponsorship Requested (Optional):

Pre-Revenue Startup a contribution amount between $ to $

Growth Startup a contribution amount between $ to $

Small to Medium Business a contribution amount between $ to $

Large Enterprise a contribution amount between $ to $

Government Organization a contribution amount between $ to $

Non-Profit a contribution amount between $ to $

Compensation

No Compensation Required
Other Requirements
Industry partners should be willing to: 

  • Participate in weekly or bi-weekly check-ins

  • Provide project context, data, and access needed for informed analysis

  • Offer timely feedback to keep teams aligned and productive
Expected Time Commitment For Project Managers 2 Hours per week
Key Program Dates Due Date
Request for Proposal published

Collaboration request published. Industry Partners may express interest in participating.

Nov 13 2025, 06:03 PM UTC
Interview

Educators will begin interviewing interested Industry Partners to discuss project ideas.

Nov 19 2025, 06:03 PM UTC
Proposal Application Deadline

Final date for Industry Partners to express interest in participating.

Dec 29 2025, 06:03 PM UTC
Finalize Project Charter

Educators and Industry Partners finalize project charters, legal documents, and background materials.

Jan 05 2026, 06:03 PM UTC
Official Program Launch

We’ll find a time on this day for you to meet with the students to kick off your project.

Jan 19 2026
Official Program End

We’ll find a time on this day for you to meet with the students to wrap up your project.

May 01 2026
Lisa Eshbach
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Amy Cornwell
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Resources

Links & Documents
OSCM 405 Lean Culture Coaching and Leadership Project Requirements pdf
LinkedIn Showcase
Previous Projects Showcase (Caterpillar, General Mills, Pratt & Whitney)

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