One of the responsibilities of an operations manager is to analyze how work tasks are performed and accomplished. The operations manager must ensure that all tasks are performed safely and efficiently while meeting quantity and quality standards. Such work task analyses are useful in every type of business or work place - from offices to factories to retail stores.
Studying and developing such systems is called Methods Analysis. There are several techniques used in Methods Analysis:
- Flow diagramsare drawings that outline the movement of people or material.
- Process chartsuse symbols or graphics to show movement of people or material in a sequence of steps.
- Activity chartsstudy and improve how one or more operators use a machine or a series of machines.
- Operations chartsshow body movements, particularly, right and left hand movements
Instructions
- You will use either a process chart or an activity chart to perform a methods analysis for an activity or task. Select one (1) task from the following list of tasks:
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- Develop a process chart for changing first the right front tire on your car and then the left rear tire on your car. Two people are involved.
- Develop a process chart for a fast food restaurant involving three people who are cooking, compiling and serving a cheeseburger (with everything on it), an order of fries and a small Coke.
- Develop a process chart for installing a new wireless keyboard and mouse on your PC.
- Design an activity chart for washing, rinsing, and drying dishes in a fast food restaurant. Two people are involved; the final step is storing these dishes in cabinets.
- Make an operations chart for inserting fresh paper into a printer and then printing a test copy.
- Design an activity chart for washing the exterior of a car; two people are involved. Note: This is for a car wash business.
Note: You may use Microsoft Visio, Word, Power Point or a similar program to create your chart. If you make any drawings by hand, you must make arrangements to scan this drawing for upload into Canvas.
- Based on the information in your chart, make recommendations for how completing this task could be improved and how to correct any problem steps.