Baby_Food

If our aim is to maximize the efficiency in the process, then it is important to understand the concept of bottlenecks since the entire process can only be as fast as the bottlenecked operation. “The process capacity is determined by the slowest series task in the process; that is, having the slowest throughput rate or longest cycle time. This slowest task is known as bottleneck” (NetMBA, 2007, ¶ 5). Sometime bottlenecks are unavoidable; however there are several things that can be done in order to improve the overall process. In other words an improvement in the bottlenecked process will ultimately improve the throughput of the entire process. Identifying the process bottleneck is a critical aspect of process analysis as it provides an opportunity to increase the overall capacity of the process and essentially improve the process. Saving time in the bottleneck process reduces the entire process time. After conducting a thorough analysis of the process identified in Week 1, I have concluded that the task of steam cooking the vegetable takes the longest time and therefore is the bottleneck in the process. Even though all the activities in the process such as picking out the fruit or vegetable, peeling and washing takes minimum amount of time, cooking time which directly depends on the texture of the vegetable being cooked takes the longest amount of time. “Any changes made to improve individual steps of a process, without addressing the bottleneck, are likely to fail to improve the process at all” (Bizmanualz, 2005, ¶ 4). Consequently it determines the pace at which the process can be completed. No matter how fast I complete the other activities in the flowchart, the process is likely to be halted until such time the vegetable is fully cooked. By concentrating on this bottleneck and finding ways to improve this particular activity, I can reduce the overall process time.