Learning_Curve_Theory

Learning Curve Theory University of Phoenix OPS/571 Operations Management George Monk August 9, 2010 Learning Curve Theory In the simulation the student is the grandchild of pizzeria owner Mario. The student is a business school graduate and has been hired by Mario to help him improve on a few things in the pizzeria. The biggest problem Mario is facing is the customer’s wait time between ordering their pizza and actually receiving the pizza. Some customers are even leaving before their pizzas are served to them. The current process that is used at Mario’s pizzeria needs to be reviewed. The student will test several alternatives to try to improve upon the process. Learning curve concepts shall be applied to process and used to make calculations as well as help in determining which alternatives are more beneficial than others. After the conclusion of the test and possible changes in the process, how effective the original process is shall be discussed. Alternatives to the Process As the grandchild of Mario and possible future proprietor of the pizzeria, the student wants to make sure the problems that are being faced is solved and that there is a pizzeria to inherit later. After reviewing the steps taken by the wait staff and kitchen staff in the process of serving the customer, it is shown that wait times as well as queue lengths are extremely high. Alternatives for this would be to change the number of types of seating because there are only tables for groups of four people at the moment. If some of the tables of four are made into smaller tables for two the amount of groups being served will increase and lower queue times. Possibly changing the wait staff and kitchen staff might help in getting to more tables at one time and help with the production of pizzas thus lowering the wait time for patrons. Installing the new Menupoint software, which instantly sends orders back to the kitchen the second the customer tells the waiter/waitress there order, will help with the time taken to walk back and forth to the kitchen by the wait staff to place orders. After the manual ovens began to slow down it was obvious that the purchase of new Plax ovens was a needed alternative. The Plax ovens are conveyor ovens that can cook eight pizzas at one time and only take four minutes to cook them. Even brand new the manual oven could only cook four pizzas at a time and took eight minutes to cook. Lastly, renting the cream puffs bakery located next door to Mario’s pizzeria will add seven tables for groups of four people and four tables for groups of two people. This will also help with lowering queue times when business is heavy. Applying Learning Curve Concepts Both types of learning are prominent in the alternatives made for the process at Mario’s. Individual learning is being made by the wait staff and the kitchen staff. Are both of these staffs continued to go through the process their completion time decreases. Also with the purchase of the Plax ovens organizational learning is accomplished in the change in mechanical technology. How Good the Initial Process Was It is very obvious to see that the initial process for serving customers at Mario’s pizzeria was outdated and needed to be changed. The wait times were just too high and when people start to just get up and leave there is a problem. The new process has made things faster and more efficient not just time efficient but also cost efficient. Conclusion When the pizzeria first opened times were different. The new age go, go, go attitude has made a lot of people impatient and they want to be able to get things done fast because there is always something else that they need to do. Mario wants his business to stay afloat so he had to change his process. In the end everything worked out well business went up, wait times and queue times went down. The student did is grandfather proud. References Chase, R. B., Jacobs, F. R., & Aquilano, N. J. (2006). Operations Management for Competitive Advantage (11th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin. Process Control and Problem Solving. (2010). Retrieved from University of Phoenix Student website on Aug. 9, 2010. ecampus.phoenix.edu Process Performance Points 1. Making changes in the number of tables for two and tables for four. 2. Keeping the wait staff as well as the kitchen staff intact. 3. Installing the Menupoint ordering system for the wait staff to use. 4. Purchasing the Plax Oven and getting rid of the manual ovens. 5. Renting Cream puffs to minimize the wait time in the restaurant for customers to be seated.