Operations Management Case Study Assignment
This assignment concerns the "Barnacle Cleaners" case study. Be concise with your answers but complete in regards to addressing the questions posed. For the first two questions, your answer will be judged on both its accuracy and your ability to explain quantitative concepts in ways that a non-technical manager will understand.
1. Using terms that James will understand, explain why his analysis (indicating that 3 servers were needed on weekday daytimes) is not valid.
2. Using terms that James will understand, explain the meaning of an M/M/s queueing model and why it is applicable here. Include explanations of the meaning of Poisson arrivals (and why this assumption is valid), and the meaning of exponential service times (and why this assumption is valid).
3. Perform an analysis using the M/M/s queuing model. Evaluate each of the two options, over the three time periods, by determining the number of servers that result in an effective balance of service costs (i.e., number of servers, required expertise, etc.) and customer service (i.e., waiting time, queue size, etc.). For each option, determine a recommended number of servers by completing the following table. Indicate the criteria you used to make these choices and justify your recommendations. Turn in an Excel file with the analysis details, for a few scenarios (not necessary all analyses, clearly labelled).
Servers Recommended by Waiting Line Analysis
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Timeframe
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Option 1: Common Line
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Option 2: Line Without Alterations
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Option 2: Line With Alterations
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Weekday Daytime
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Weekday Evening
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Saturday
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4. Based on the analysis of each option above, make an overall recommendation. Should Barnacle with the first (common all-purpose line) or the second option (two segmented lines). Be aware that it is not possible to reconfigure the layout between time periods, so only one option can be implemented. Be prepared to have a team member present this result this result orally at the next live classroom session.
Attachment:- Assignment Files.rar