Question: A scientific journal uses the following process to handle submissions for publication:
• The authors send the manuscript to the Journal Editorial Office (JEO).
• The JEO sends a letter to the authors to acknowledge receipt of the manuscript. The JEO also sends a copy of the manuscript to the editor-in-chief (EIC).
• The EIC selects an associate editor (AE) to be responsible for handling the manuscript and notifies the JEO.
• The JEO sends a copy of the manuscript to the AE.
• After reading the manuscript, the AE selects two referees who have agreed to review the paper. The AE then notifies the JEO.
• The JEO sends copies of the manuscript to the referees.
• The referees review the manuscript and send their reports to the JEO.
• The JEO forwards the referee reports to the appropriate AE.
• After reading the referee reviews, the AE decides whether the manuscript should be rejected, accepted, or revised. The decision is communicated to the JEO.
• If the manuscript is rejected, the JEO sends a letter to the authors thanking them for the submission (and wishing them good luck getting the manuscript published somewhere else!).
• If the manuscript is accepted, the JEO forwards the manuscript to production. The JEO also notifies the authors and the EIC.
• If the manuscript needs revisions, the JEO forwards the referee reviews to the authors.
• The authors revise the manuscript following the recommendations outlined in the referee reports. The authors then resubmit the manuscript to the JEO.
• The JEO sends a resubmission directly to the responsible AE.
• After reading a resubmitted manuscript, the AE decides whether the revised version can now be accepted or needs to be sent to the referees for further reviewing.
a. Construct a service system map for this process.
b. Identify opportunities for redesigning the process.