Bottlenecks in a Process

The process in completing two loads of laundry has been examined over the last three weeks. The collected data has been examined to identify if and where a bottleneck exists in the process. A definite bottleneck occurs in the transferring of the laundry from one step to another, however, by applying Goldratt’s theory of constraints the bottleneck can be lessened and the process improved.

Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints

The first step in Goldratt’s theory of constraints is identifying the constraint, or the bottleneck. The following chart, attached as Exhibit A, identifies the time each step in the process took to complete.. The mean wash time is 49.19 minutes, despite the wash cycle taking 38 minutes to complete and the dry time is 68.65 minutes despite the cycle taking 50 minutes to complete. The bottleneck is identified as occurring in between cycles due largely in part to different distractions occurring when doing the laundry.

The constraint can be exploited by setting a timer as a reminder to switch the loads regardless of the various distractions. This will enable us to subordinate to the constraint by ignoring the other distractions. In addition, the constraint will be elevated, by utilizing additional resources. For example, someone else can switch the loads if necessary

Finally, once the constraint has been broken and the time between cycles is cut down, the process needs to be re-examined in order to find other constraints. The utilization of a timer can greatly decrease the time spent doing the laundry. In addition to improving this aspect of the process, other improvements can be made by examining the process again.

Load 1 | | wk 1 | | | wk 2 | | | | | wk 3 | | | | |

| | Thursday | Friday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Monday |

| wash | 45 | 50 | 52 | 48 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 55 | 57 | 40 | 75 |

| dry | 55 | 58 | 60 | 55 | 55 | 57 | 65...