Assignment 2 - Process Analysis

1. At the drive-through counter of a fast-food outlet, an average of 10 cars waits in line. The
manager wants to determine if the length of the line is having any impact on potential sales. A
study reveals that, on average, 2 cars per minute try to enter the drive-through area, but 25
percent of the drivers of these cars are dismayed by the long line and simply move on without
placing orders. Assume that no car that enters the line leaves without service.
QUESTION
On average, how long does a car spend in the drive-through line?

2. A hospital emergence room (ER) is currently organized so that all patients register through an
initial check-in process. Each patient is seen by a doctor and then exists the process, either
with a prescription or with admission to the hospital. Currently, 55 people per hour arrive at
the ER, 10% of who are admitted to the hospital. On average, 7 people are waiting to be
registered and 34 are registered and waiting to see a doctor. The registration process takes, on
average, 2 minutes per patient. Among patients who receive prescriptions, average time spent
with a doctor is 5 minutes. Among those admitted to the hospital, average time is 30 minutes.
Assume the process to be stable; that is, average inflow rate equals average outflow rate.
QUESTION
A. On average, how long does a patient spend in the ER?
B. How many patients are being examined by doctors?
C. On average, how many patients are there in the ER?

3. The Traffic Court of King James County operates between the hours of 9 A.M. and 1 P.M. Each
morning, roughly at 9. P.M., 200 defendants show up for trial involving traffic violations, such
as speeding, illegal parking, and ignoring s stop sign. On Monday, June 10. 2022, a sample of
10 defendants was selected at random by a consultant. For each defendant, the consultant
recorded the actual time spent in discussion with the judge and the time paying the fine (not
including waiting). Also recording were the times the defendant arrived and left the court. The
data are summarized in the following table.
Defendant Arrival Departure Time with Judge (minutes) Time paying fine (minutes)
1 8:45 9:30 1.0 5.0
2 8:45 9:45 1.5 2.0
3 8:45 12:05 2.0 3.0
4 8:50 12:55 1.5 5.0
5 8:50 10:35 1.0 2.0
6 8:55 9:20 1.0 0.0
7 8:55 11:35 2.0 2.0
8 9:00 10:45 3.0 0.0
9 9:00 12:55 1.0 2.0
10 9:00 9:20 1.5 3.0

QUESTION
A. Estimate the flow time of the process.
B. Estimate the theoretical flow time of the process.
C. What is the flow-time efficiency?

4. The Hong Kong Airport Authority manages and operates the Hong Kong International Airport
(HKIA). Its focus on safety, security, and customer service has contributed to HKIA’s ranking
among the top 30 airports in the world. To maintain its excellence customer service standards
and in anticipation of new government regulations, airport management sought to take
leadership in improving customer follow through its airport security checkpoints.

1
 To understand flow, management started with a single security line comprising an X-ray
scanner for carry on items and screening station for passengers. Arriving customers first
prepare themselves for the inspection by removing belts, coats, and shoes, emptying their
pockets, and separating electronic gear from other personal items. They then deposit all bags
in trays on the scanner and proceed personally to the screening station. Once the screening is
completed, passengers retrieve their belongings, put on their shoes, belts, and coats, and exit
the facility.
On average, it takes passengers 30 seconds to prepare for the line, and to place all carry-on
items in the trays for the X-ray scanner. The X-ray scanner takes 40 seconds per tray, and the
average passenger utilizes 1.5 trays. The personal screening station requires 30 seconds per
person. Finally, retrieving of belongings and getting reorganized takes 60 seconds. All the
times mentioned represent activity time at the various activities and do not include the effects
of waiting.
QUESTIONS
A. Draw a process map for the security check process.
B. What is theoretical flow time of the security check process?
C. A sample of 20 passengers was selected at random, and the time required for each to clear
the security check was recorded. The average of the individual times was 530 seconds. What
is the process flowtime efficiency?
D. What is the impact on theoretical flow time of the process if the personal screening activity
is expedited to 20 seconds.?

5. Three hairstylists, Francoism Bernard, and Mimi, run Fast Service Hair Salon for busy
professionals in the MTR Central District of Hong Kong. They stay open from 6:45a.m. to
9:00p.m. in order to accommodate as many people’s work schedule as possible. They perform
only shampooing and hairstyling activities. On average, it takes 10 minutes to shampoo, 15
minutes to style the hair, and 5 minutes to bill the customer. When a customer arrives, he or
she first checks in with the receptionist (Bernard’s younger sister LuLu). This takes only 3
minutes. One of the three stylists then takes change of the customer and performs all three
activities – shampooing, styling, and billing – consecutively.
QUESTIONS
A. What is the number of customers that can be served per hour in this hair salon?
B. A customer, an operations specialist, has suggested that the billing operation be transferred
to LuLu. What would be the impact on the theoretical capacity?
6. A law form specialized in the issuance of insurance policies covering large commercial real
estate projects. The projects fall into two categories: shopping centers, and medical
complexes. The typical work involved in each transaction is quite predictable and repetitive.
The time requirements (unit loads) for preparing a standard contract of each type are given in
the following table. Also listed are the number of professionals of each type and the number
of available hours per professional per day (the rest of time is taken by other office activities):
Unit load Shopping Unit load Medical No. of Hours available
(hour/contract) (hour/contract) professionals (hours/professional /day)
Paralegal 4 6 4 6
Tax lawyer 1 3 3 8
Senior partner 1 1 2 4
For the month of Feb 2023, the firm has generated the 150 orders, 75 of each type. Assume
one month equals 20 days.
QUESTIONS
A. What is the effective capacity of the process (contract/day)?
B. Can the company process all 150 cases in February?
C. If the firm wishes to process all the 150 cases available in Feb, how many professionals of
each type are needed?