Work Flow

OPTIMIZING PROCESS FLOWS
Read case Body Scans and Bottlenecks: Optimizing Hospital CT Process Flows. Drawing from this case, please address the following (You must use at least one number/value (quantitative) for your answer to either part A or B (or both, if you’d like!): A. Answer one of the questions listed under the case paragraph starting with “But where to start” (page 3). Would it be possible to make previously sequential tasks parallel, or to centralize certain tasks?

A few steps can be done in parallel rather than in sequential order in order to save time. If the hospital had an extra employee or was able to hire an extra employee, that person can locate and move the patient from the waiting room to the testing room. This 4 minute process can be done while the nurse is cleaning the room from the previous patient. The nurse can also refill empty IV bags while the test is being performed on the patient. Having multiple IV bags already prepared for the patient can save some time.

PROCESS DESIGN DECISION-MAKING
Read Article: Find the Best Checkout Line and address the following: A. Describe an attempt to reduce checkout lines at an organization of your choice other than the ones mentioned in the article. Many people become aggravated and annoyed when having to wait in a long line at a store. Some stores are fixing this problem through many methods, such as pre-scanning customer’s items so that it is already in the register when the customer is ready to pay. Another method is to provide customers with something to do so their wait time does not feel as long as it actually is. For example the company can play a movie or customers to watch while they wait.