Ch. 8: Process management

The input would be seen as a rock, the process would be the factory, and the output would be the iron blocks creates

They would be seen as the machines processing the material to create the output of the iron

It has activities (as rectangles), arrows (as arrows), and buffers (as triangle)

This is the simplest form of transformation carried out by resources. It is the building block of a process

It indicates the flow of the unit. The direction to the next step

They are like inventory. It stores flow units that finished & is waiting for the next activity to start

The process is not the same for every job. They have a different system they need to follow and how they operate

It is a way of structuring the process by organizing resources around the process or vis versa. The questions to ask are: variety, flexibility, volume. It is demand driven

How much from the product or services will the system need to handle

To what degree does the equipment need to adopt

What is the expected amount of output needed

There is: job shop process, batch process, assembly line process, and continuous process

It is small scale. Used for low volume (speed) with high variety of good or services. The flow is intermittent & is high flexibility of the equipment and skills. It can have more than one input and can have more than one output

ex.) auto repair shop, vet, high end cars

This is moderate scale. Used for moderate volume (mid speed) with moderate variety of goods and services. The flow is intermittent flow. The equipment has more volume and the worker skills has less variety than the job shop. It can have more than one input, but comes out to one output

Ex.) Bakeries, movie theater, high end resurant

It is moderate to high scale. The volume is high (speed) with low variety b/c of having more standard goods and services. It is repetitive process with increased efficiency. The equipment has slight flexibility & the worker skills is low. It can have more than one input, but need to come out in the same output

ex.) auto assembly, subway, McDonalds

Each person is able to work at their own pace. Inventory various due to the capacity the workers have. Has more triangles between each process. Only has one inout and one output

ex.) Bugatti assembly line

All the workstations need to be worked at the same speed. If one stations stops, then the whole production stops.

ex.) Prius assembly line, Pizza topping

It is high scale. Very high volume (speed) with very low variety. The output is highly standardized. The flow is always flowing. The equipment has not flexibility & workers skills is low to high demand depending on the task

ex.) steel, sugar

• Product variety: high

• Process flexibility: high

  • Output volume: low

• Product variety: moderate

• Process flexibility: moderate

  • Output volume: moderate

• Product variety: low

• Process flexibility: low

  • Output volume: high

• Product variety: very low

• Process flexibility: very low

  • Output volume: very high

This is a strategy that designs new product from scratch. Job process is considered this.

It is also called pull strategy. Used by manufacturer that make small amounts according to customers specifications. It allows high degree of customization and used under job and small batch processes.

Strategy used for producing wide variety of product from few subassemblies and components. It is mainly on line process and batch process. Used for mass customization

This is also called push strategy. It involves holding items in stock for fast delivery. the product is made ahead of time for customer demand. Used in line and continuous flow processes