Lawrence Sports Simulation

Bottlenecks in a Process

Alicia Lopez

OPS/571

October 16, 2012

Dr. Janisse Green

Bottlenecks in a Process

Bottlenecks are “a resource that limits the capacity or maximum output of the process” (Chase, Jacobs, & Aquilano, 2006). The identified metric “efficiency “from week one tells a manager or supervisor if the process is being made toward improvement. There are a number of bottlenecks that can interrupt the flow of the process from being complete.

Interrupted Flow

Inventory is important to the process. When there is a potential V.I.P. guest checking in early, the room must be complete and above standard. Sometimes there are shortages of bedspreads or mattress pads. This can create a bottleneck in which the bedspread and mattress pad that is on the bed now needs to be taken off and washed and dried to be put back on the bed. This takes at least an hour to an hour and a half for this process. In this case the breakdown in the inventory is the bottleneck. Another potential bottleneck is when an employee calls off or comes in late. When an employee is late the assigned rooms are standing and cannot be given out because other employees already have their quota for the day. Those rooms are on a waiting list until other rooms are either “No Service” or “Do Not Disturb”. Then the room can be given to another employee. The bottleneck here is the employee’s attendance. The employee is a resource for which they are depended on to complete the process.

The Learning Curve

The learning curve can be advantageous to either an individual or an organization. The three assumptions that the learning curve is based on can potentially improve the process. The assumption that “the reduction in time will follow a predictable pattern” (Chase, Jacobs, & Aquilano, 2006), is essential in the process of preparing the room for the V.I.P. guest. Inventory must be up to date. Knowing what is in stock lowers the amount of time it takes to re-wash the...