Creature Care Animal Clinic (a)

Bobby Smith

May 20, 2012

Operations Management

“Creature Care Animal Clinic Case Study (A)”

Identify the operations management problems that Dr. Barr is having at the clinic.

The inventory of items, multiple brands of the same product, over stocked or under stocked of items.

The current operation hours and staff schedule for the clinic are not working. The demand on Saturday has increased requiring both veterinarians to work to cover the demand. Friday afternoons have become so busy that over time occurs each evening. Wednesdays have extended hours but they tend to not have enough clients show during these hours.

The schedule Dr. Barr set up worked well at the clinic where she was a resident. What are some of the reasons why it might not be working here?

The clinic she was a resident at could have simply had a different demand. Their clients had a demand for extended hours on Wednesdays and only part of the day Saturday.

The owner of the practice that she was resident at could have demanded that only so many clients per time slot to keep control of the demand. In turn possibly turning away non-emergency clients.

Identify some of the reasons why the clinic is having inventory problems.

There isn’t organization of the products or ordering system. There also isn’t communication among the staff on what products need pushed prior to expiration or which products where running low.

What should Dr. Barr have done differently to avoid some of the problems she is currently experiencing?

She should have identified within the first year her client demand and adjusted the clinic and staff hours’ according.

She should have started off with a proper ordering system that would keep products organized and prevent products from being over or under stocked.

What suggestions would you make to Dr. Barr now?

I would suggest changing the clinic hours.

She could change Wednesday to regular business hours. If there really isn’t much of a demand for Wednesday during...