Bottlenecks_in_a_Process

Bottlenecks in a Process OPS/571 University of Phoenix October 11, 2010 Through analyzing data from the morning routine, with the optimal goal of reducing the time spent gathering items for the school day and feeding the household pets, bottlenecks were discovered at critical points during the process. The application of Goldratt’s theory of constraints identifies these bottlenecks and assists in preparation for overcoming the obstacles these bottlenecks present. According to the article “Intensity and simplicity” (1996), the author sums up the theory of constraints as the idea that: “people know what they want to accomplish with their system and that within that system there is a weak link. A constraint. So the idea is to work the weak link. Make it so that it is no longer a weak link.” By delving into the system to identify that core constraint and implementing changes, the process may be improved with minimal time and resource investment. The morning tasks meet the criterion of a process as defined by Chase, Jacbos and Aquilanon (2006). A process is defined as any part of an organization, or in this instance, a family, which transforms inputs into outputs (Chase, 2006, p. 154). The family takes a series of independent items and assembles them in a manner to effectively, and efficiently get the children out the door to school on time. The application of Goldratt’s theory of constraints to this process is feasible by identifying the following (Trietsch, 2005, para. 2): 1. Binding system constraints must be identified and the weakest link found. 2. The constraints must be managed to be as effective as possible. 3. All other activities need to support the constraint, even if this reduces the efficiency of non-constraint processes. 4. Evaluate the system constraints and acquire more if the output is still not optimal. 5. Repeat as the constraints may have changed. The process time for the morning tasks is currently one hour and thirty minutes with a cycle time of one day. The goal is the reduction of process time to a maximum of one hour with a cycle time of one day. Based on the data collection, bottlenecks occur due to wasted time and misdirected activities. The first bottleneck was found in the process of gathering items for the school day, packing lunches and reviewing the after-school schedule. This block of time is the largest and has the least amount of efficiency. This is the constraint to which Goldratt’s theory of constraints will be applied. The family is looking for missing items, which places them behind schedule. When the family runs behind schedule, the children miss the bus and must be driven to school, placing the parents behind schedule as well. In the book “The Goal”, Goldratt’s fictional plant uses a dedicated team to improve the process (Tibben-Lembke, 2009). This action reduced the idle time of the machine. Using this application, the family may implement a dedicated team approach to eliminate wasted time, which causes the family to run late. This is consistent with steps two and three, as described above. The management of this binding constraint is crucial. Attention should be directed to this activity to insure that no time is wasted (Trietsch, 2005). Starting the collection process early, in this instance the night before, controls the risk of this activity causing a delay (Trietsch, 2005). In addition to moving the collection process to an earlier stage, a labeled clipboard was erected for each child. Each afternoon the child put necessary papers on the clipboard, so the parent(s) can easily find the papers for review. The parents then place the papers which need to be returned with the child in that child’s backpack for the next day. The afterschool schedule can be discussed while the children eat breakfast. Combining these two activities will also reduce time spent and eliminate some of the risk of delay. Further dedicating this task to the father while the mother nurses the baby will provide the needed efficiency and eliminate parental down time. In repeating these steps for the second bottleneck, which occurs during feeding the household pets, the cycle time varies by species. The process time is currently 20 minutes. The cycle time for cats and dog is once every 12 hours. The cycle time for the reptiles is once every other day. To improve the constraints, self-feeding devices and self-water dispensers were purchased for the cats and dog. This reduces the cycle time to once every other day. The process time to refill the dispensers is five minutes. By scheduling the reptile feedings on opposite days as the mammal feedings, the cycle time becomes once daily with a process time of seven minutes. In “The Goal” Goldratt’s fictional manager implements small changes to realize a significant impact in the process flow (Tibben-Lembke, 2009). As evident for the family above, the identification of the core bottleneck, small changes and small investments improve efficiency and output. These corrective actions are expected to reduce the morning routine process by at least 30 minutes daily. References Chase, R. B., Jacobs, F. R., & Aquilano, N. J. (2006) Operations management for competitive advantage (11th ed). New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin. G.S.V. (1996). Intensity & simplicity. Automotive Production, 108(12), 22. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier database. Tibben-Lembke, R. (2009). Theory of constraints at UniCo: analysing The Goal as a fictional case study.International Journal of Production Research, 47(7), 1815-1834. doi:10.1080/00207540802624003. Trietsch, D. (2005). Why a critical path by any other name would smell less sweet' Project Management Journal, 36(1), 27-36. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database.