Week #1 Individual Assignment Design a Flowchart for a Process Rebecca Thornley OPS 571 University of Phoenix June 22, 2010 Design a Flowchart for a Process Everyday, people perform daily processes as part of their regular routines and many of them may consume a great amount of time. In this paper, a specific process has been identified and a flowchart has been designed to show the various factors that affect the design process as well as the specific metric that identifies the measurement process.
By designing a flowchart for this process, the desired result is to identify how the amount of time involved can be minimized while also making the overall process more efficient. Factors Affecting Process Design The factors affecting the process design include: 1) “Do I get up promptly? ” OR “Do I hit the snooze button on the alarm? ” 2) “Do I have my clothes ready for work? ” OR “Do I need to decide what to wear in the morning? ” 3) “Is there a great deal of traffic or congestion? OR “Is the traffic moving smoothly? ” Each of these factors can greatly affect the process design because of their potential impact on the overall amount of time expended. Some additional steps in the process design which have less impact on the overall efficiency of driving to work include: 1) Shower 2) Brush teeth 3) Fix hair 4) Do makeup Identified Metric The one metric that has been identified to measure the process is time.
The flowchart will incorporate the identified metric for every day of the workweek being studied. The following times listed are for the data collected for work week #1: Monday, (6-14-10)Time expended: 25 minutes Tuesday, (6-15-10)Time expended: 20 minutes Wednesday, (6-16-10)Time expended: 19 minutes Thursday, (6-17-10)Time expended: 15 minutes Friday, (6-18-10)Time expended: 16 minutes Total time expended in Week #1: 1 hour 35 minutes Flowchart for Process
The following flowchart has been designed to provide a visual representation of the logical sequence of steps in the stated process of driving to work each morning. The process described in the flowchart details the process of driving to work each day. The process begins with how quickly I wake up in the morning, how fast I am able to get ready and how quickly I can get to work based on the amount of traffic incurred. Upon arriving to work, the task is complete.
The key factors contributing to the time it takes to get to work are the significant parts of the actual flowchart. By examining each factor in the flowchart, it helps to clarify potential areas for improved efficiency. And, “Understanding how processes work is essential to ensuring the competitiveness of a company”, (Chase, Jacobs, & Aquilano, 2006). Reference Chase, R. B. , Jacobs, F. R. , and Aquilano, N. J. (2006). Operations management for competitive Advantage (11th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.