course-details-portlet

TPK4110

Quality and Performance Oriented Management

Assessments and mandatory activities may be changed until September 20th.

Credits 7.5
Level Second degree level
Course start Spring 2026
Duration 1 semester
Language of instruction English
Location Trondheim
Examination arrangement Aggregate score

About

About the course

Course content

The course will cover a natural progression through the following topics (based on a holistic model for performance based management): basic quality management principles, performance-based stakeholder analysis, management planning and alignment of the organization, business process orientation, process mapping, self-assessment, developing a performance measurement system, defining performance indicators, analysis of business processes, basic improvement understanding, different improvement tools (e.g., benchmarking, business process reengineering). These topics will be supplemented with examples from applications within manufacturing, maintenance, logistics, and other relevant areas within this study program.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

The candidate has knowledge about:

  • Key concepts within the field of quality management.
  • Historical development of the field.
  • Understanding of the importance of customer and process focus and continuous improvement.
  • Key tools for quality improvement.
  • Basic statistics related to quality.

Skills:

The candidate can:

  • Perform a stakeholder analysis and determine improvement needs.
  • Define performance indicators and design a system for performance measurement.
  • Apply key tools for quality improvement.
  • Perform simple statistical calculations related to quality.

General competence:

The candidate can:

  • Understand basic relationships between companies and their interplay with the outside world.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures og group exercises based on industrial cases.

The lectures and exercises are in English when students who do not speak Norwegian take the course. If the teaching is given in English the Examination papers will be given in English only. Students are free to choose Norwegian or English for written assessments.

Compulsory assignments

  • Activities

Further on evaluation

Final exam (semester project and home exam) provides a basis for the final grade in the course. The final grading includes a semester paper that counts for 40% and a home exam that counts for 60%.

Assessment of the parts is stated with letter grades according to the grade scale for the percentage assessment method. Admission to taking the exam requires 2/3 of the group exercises to have been approved.

Compulsory activity from the previous semester can be approved by the department by repeating the course if there have been no significant changes in the program later.

Re-sit/re-sit examinations will be held in August. All assessments must be passed before the overall result can be calculated in the course.

At postponed exam (re-sit exam), the examination form may be changed from home exam to oral.

Continuation and voluntary repetition / improvement can be carried out for some sub-evaluations without having to reassess both sub-evaluations in a topic. There is an opportunity to complain about partial assessments in this topic before all sub-evaluations have been completed.

Course materials

Andersen, Bjørn & Fagerhaug, Tom: Performance Measurement Explained, 2001, Quality Press, USA (notice that this book will be made available for download as pdf, there is no need to buy it). Optional: Evans, James R.: Quality Management, Organization, and Strategy (7e), 2013, South-Western, USA (the book can be a supplement to other material).

Subject areas

  • Engineering
  • Project Management
  • Construction Management
  • Technological subjects
  • Economics and Administration

Contact information

Course coordinator

Lecturers

Department with academic responsibility

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Examination

Examination

Examination arrangement: Aggregate score
Grade: Letter grades

Ordinary examination - Spring 2026

Home exam
Weighting 60/100 Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Assignment
Weighting 40/100 Exam system Inspera Assessment

Re-sit examination - Summer 2026

Home exam
Weighting 60/100 Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment