Andrew Quong

Welcome to my e-portfolio!  I’m Andrew and currently  a student at BCIT studying operations management.  I’m not too sure where I’ll be five years from now, but I am confident that as I continue studying this field it will become clear to me.  On this page you’ll find information about me, the projects I complete for school, and the things I do on my own time.  If at anytime you want to know more, send me a message through my contact page.  Enjoy!  Links related to this e-portfolios are below:

e-Portfolio Assignment Instructions

BCIT Website

Operations Management Program

For the HRMG 3205 course – Labour Relations, we studied the effects of Generation Y employees on unions and employers.  We used a variety of sources and research methods including surveys, interviews with union and management representatives, and internet articles.  Through this project we, as future managers, learned how we will need to adapt to the needs of our employees.  We also learned how unions will benefit us and how they voice the needs of employees.

In addition to a report, we presented our findings to the class.  Unfortunately because of disclosure agreements, I am not able to post the PowerPoint presentation for you to see.

As part of a course requirement in OPMT 4408 – Math Models for Decisions, my team and I decided to model the operations of a gas station.  Variables such as arrival rates, refueling times, wages, overhead, and number of pumps could be changed to increase throughput in the system and profitability.  This simulation helped us understand the software (Simul8) and demonstrated how operations management students could use models to improve a process.

A picture of the model can be found below:

Gas Station Model

As part of the assignment, a report was to be submitted that had recommendations as how to improve the system complete with analysis.

With the intent of familiarizing ourselves with MS Excel 2007, our instructors tasked us with creating a business model of our choice along with various chart types.  My group did a GIC Calculator, in which you put an invested amount in and the calculator will determine your maturity value.  It also has other functions such as period and date look-ups.  You can download both files for your viewing below.  MS Excel is required.

GIC Calculator

Charting Exercises

I have made a goal to myself that by January 1st 2013 I will have saved up $100,000.  I believe this goal is very achievable and the financial knowledge that BCIT is giving me is only increasing the chances of success.  During the winter break I plan on investing in some market GICs and stocks.  If anyone has any advice on this please comment.

Starting from January 2007, I have been a soldier with the British Columbia Regiment.  My job as an armoured reconnaissance soldier is to gather intelligence on the enemy.  My current duties involve driving the combat reconnaissance vehicle, operating the communications equipment and weapon systems, and act as an observer.  In a dismounted role I am a junior fireteam leader.  In the past two years, I have been sent to CFB Edmonton in Alberta and CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick.  I am constantly learning new skills while developing those I have acquired.  There are always new challenges to overcome everytime I step off on a field exercise.  Because of this, the Canadian Forces has been one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had.

On September 24 2009 I attended an APICS (Association for Operations Management) professional development meeting.  The dinners happen once a month and brings operations managers together from all over Vancouver.  A guest speaker is followed by an excellent catered dinner.  Larry Berglund came and talked about corperate ethics and the environment.  The overall experience was very valuable to me.  For future opportunists this is an excellent way to establish your networking contacts.

For MKTG 1102 (Marketing) we did a case study revolving around Research in Motion’s Blackberry smartphone.  Our team’s objective was to create a strategy to increase market share of the Blackberry by appealing to both business and casual everyday users.  It involved analysing the target market, creating alternative products, and choosing the best strategy to implement.  Our team presented our strategy to the class in a professional manner with the aid of PowerPoint.  There are a couple screenshots of the presentation below.

A terms of reference (TOR) is a document that defines the structure and purpose of a project.  As operations managers in training, we’ll expect to do many projects in the future.  This TOR assignment helps us understand how to approach a project in an organized method.  The value in this is that it not only applies to operations management, but to any project in general.  A copy of the final draft can be found below.

Terms of Reference v6.0

Every team has rules that govern how that team works.  At BCIT the instructors stress the key importance of working in teams and how to do it successfully.  One of the first group assignments we did was a team charter.  Team charters outline the ground rules to aid in the overall efficiency in team processes.  You can view the final draft of the charter from the link below.

Team Mosaic Charter

This was a lab in our week 8 lab.  It’s a car dealership business model made in MS Office Excel 2007.  It’s quite simple but the skills that I learned while doing it were vital to my understanding of Excel.  Just trying to figure out how equations work into cells is challenging enough.  I use excel quite often and am always learning something new when I do assignments like this one.

MS Excel 2007