Process Design

Chapter Coverage
• What are design and process?
• Product and services design and process
design are interrelated.
• Design activity is a process itself
• Designing processes
• Process types
Design:
“To design” refers to the process of originating
and developing a plan for a product, service or
process.

Process:
Is any part of an organization which takes a set
of input resources which are then used to
transform something into outputs of products
or services.
 4.4
PROCESS STRATEGY

 An organization’s approach to transforming resources

into goods and services
 OBJECTIVE:
to build a production process that meets customer
requirements and product specifications within cost and
other managerial constraints

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.5
PROCESS FOCUS

 A production facility organized around

processes to facilitate low volume, high
variety production

 Ex: Arnold Palmer Hospital

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.6
REPETITIVE FOCUS

 The classic assembly line

 A product oriented production process
that uses modules
 Modules- parts or components of a product
previously prepared, often in a continuous
process
 Ex: Automobiles and household appliances

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.7
PRODUCT FOCUS

 A facility organized around products ; a

product-oriented, high volume, low
variety process
 Ex: Frito Lay

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.8
MASS CUSTOMIZATION

 Rapid, low-cost production that caters to

constantly changing unique customer
desires
 Ex: Dell Computer

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.9

Designing processes
• Process mapping/time-function mapping
• Process mapping symbols
• Improving processes
• Process performance
• Throughput, cycle time & work in process

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.10

Process mapping
• Used to identify different types of activities.
• Shows the flow of material, people or
information.
• Critical analysis of process maps can improve
the process.

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.11

Process mapping symbols

Operation (an activity Beginning or end of process
that directly adds value)

Inspection (a check of Activity

some sort)
Transport (a movement Input or Output from the process
of some thing)

Delay (a wait, e.g. for materials) Direction of flow

Storage (deliberate storage, Decision (exercising discretion)

as opposed to a delay)

Process mapping symbols derived Process mapping symbols derived from

from “Scientific Management” Systems Analysis

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.12

Raw Stored Move to Stored Take

Assembly Sell
Materials Sandwiches Outlets Sandwiches Payment

Standard sandwich process

Customer
Request
Raw Assembly Take
Materials Payment

Customer
Request

Customized sandwich old process

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.13
The operation of making and
selling customized sandwiches
Assemble as Take
Prepare required payment
Sandwich Customers
materials and “assembled” to
customers sandwiches

Bread and
Base filling The outline process of making and
selling customized sandwiches
Assemble whole
sandwich
Use standard
“base”?
No

Yes Fillings
Customer The detailed process of
Request assembling customized
Assemble from
sandwiches
standard “base”
Stored
“Bases”

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.14

Customized sandwich improved new process

Assemble whole
sandwich

Assembly of Use standard Take

“sandwich No Payment
“base”?
bases”

Fillings

Bread and Yes

Base filling Customer Request

Stored “Bases” Assemble from

standard “base”

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.15 ‘Two handed’ process chart
Left hand Right hand
Wait Pick up base plate
Insert into fixture
Hold base plate Pick up two supports
Locate back plate
Pick up screws
Locate screws
Pick up air driver
Fasten screws
Wait Replace air driver
Pick up centre assembly
Inspect centre assembly
Hold centre assembly Locate and fix
Switch on timer
Wait to end test
Inspect Inspect
Transfer grasp Transfer grasp
Wait Put aside

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.16

Process performance
• Process performance can be judge against the
five key performance objective:
 Quality
 Speed
 Dependability
 Flexibility
 Cost

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.17

Throughput, work content, cycle time, and

work in process
• Throughput – the time for a unit to move through the
process
• Work content – the total amount of work required to
produce a unit of output (measured in time)
• Cycle time – The average time between units of
output emerging form the process
• Work in process (WIP) –unfinished items in a
production process waiting for further processing e. g.
when customers join a queue in a process they
become WIP
throughput = work in process x cycle time
© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.18

Project Processes
 One-off, complex, large scale, high work
content “products”
 Specially made, every one customized
 Defined start and finish: time, quality and cost
objectives
 Many different skills have to be coordinated
 Fixed position layout

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.19
Project Process

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.20

Jobbing Processes
 Very small quantities: “one-offs”, or only a few
required
 Specially made. High variety, low repetition.
 Skill requirements are usually very broad
 Skilled jobber, or team of jobbers complete
whole product
 Fixed position or process layout (routing
decided by jobbers)

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.21
Jobbing Process

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.22

Batch Processes

 Higher volumes and lower variety than for

jobbing
 Standard products, repeating demand. But
can make specials
 Specialized, narrower skills
 Set-ups (changeovers) at each stage of
production
 Process or cellular layout

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.23
Batch Process

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.24

Mass (Line) Processes

 Higher volumes than Batch

 Standard, repeat products
 Low and/or narrow skills
 No set-ups, or almost instantaneous ones
 Cell or product layout

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.25
Mass Process

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.26

Continuous Process

 Extremely high volumes and low variety: often

single product
 Standard, repeat products
 Highly capital-intensive and automated
 Few changeovers required
 Difficult and expensive to start and stop the
process
 Product layout: usually flow along conveyors
or pipes

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.27
Continuous
Process

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4
 4.28

Manufacturing process Service process

types types
High

High
Project
Professional
service
Jobbing

Service shop

Variety
Variety

Batch

Mass

Contin- Low Mass service

Low

uous

Low Volume High Low Volume High

© Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers & Robert Johnston, 2004 Operations Management, 4E: Chapter 4