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MBA-FPX 5016 Demand Management Plan:
Assessment 2 Operations Planning Guide.
Academic Year: 2026/2027
Course: MBA-FPX 5016: Operations Management for Managers
Scenario: Wild Dog Coffee Company
Instructor/Evaluator: Operations Management Expert
Introduction to Assessment Strategy
This guide is designed to ensure your "Demand Management Plan" meets
the rigorous "Distinguished" criteria of the Capella University scoring rubric.
Success in this assessment requires moving beyond generic textbook
definitions; you must apply specific quantitative formulas to the Wild Dog
Coffee scenario and justify your operational decisions with precise logic.
The most common failure points in this assessment are: (1) using a basic
moving average instead of the required Exponential Smoothing with Trend,
(2) failing to calculate the Tracking Signal to detect bias, and (3) proposing a
generic staffing plan that ignores the union contract constraints regarding
idle time.
, 2
Follow the structure below to construct your Assessment 2 submission.
PART A: Quantitative Demand Forecasting & Statistical Analysis
This section demonstrates your ability to use historical data to predict future
demand accurately. You must prove your model's reliability.
Requirement 1: Method Selection, Justification & Seasonality
Task: Select "Exponential Smoothing with Trend" (Holt’s Method) and
justify it over Naive or Moving Average methods. Additionally, deseasonalize
the summer iced latte spike using a seasonal index.
Planning Guidance:
Justification Logic: Explicitly state that Moving Averages lag behind trends
and Exponential Smoothing assigns exponentially decreasing weights to
older observations, making it more responsive to the recent upward sales
trend of Wild Dog Coffee.
Seasonality Calculation (The "Iced Latte Spike"):
You must identify that sales spike in June/July/August.
MBA-FPX 5016 Demand Management Plan:
Assessment 2 Operations Planning Guide.
Academic Year: 2026/2027
Course: MBA-FPX 5016: Operations Management for Managers
Scenario: Wild Dog Coffee Company
Instructor/Evaluator: Operations Management Expert
Introduction to Assessment Strategy
This guide is designed to ensure your "Demand Management Plan" meets
the rigorous "Distinguished" criteria of the Capella University scoring rubric.
Success in this assessment requires moving beyond generic textbook
definitions; you must apply specific quantitative formulas to the Wild Dog
Coffee scenario and justify your operational decisions with precise logic.
The most common failure points in this assessment are: (1) using a basic
moving average instead of the required Exponential Smoothing with Trend,
(2) failing to calculate the Tracking Signal to detect bias, and (3) proposing a
generic staffing plan that ignores the union contract constraints regarding
idle time.
, 2
Follow the structure below to construct your Assessment 2 submission.
PART A: Quantitative Demand Forecasting & Statistical Analysis
This section demonstrates your ability to use historical data to predict future
demand accurately. You must prove your model's reliability.
Requirement 1: Method Selection, Justification & Seasonality
Task: Select "Exponential Smoothing with Trend" (Holt’s Method) and
justify it over Naive or Moving Average methods. Additionally, deseasonalize
the summer iced latte spike using a seasonal index.
Planning Guidance:
Justification Logic: Explicitly state that Moving Averages lag behind trends
and Exponential Smoothing assigns exponentially decreasing weights to
older observations, making it more responsive to the recent upward sales
trend of Wild Dog Coffee.
Seasonality Calculation (The "Iced Latte Spike"):
You must identify that sales spike in June/July/August.
