Business 10th Edition by Ferrell,Geoffrey Hirt,Linda Ferrell

Exercise 16

Reducing Cycle Time
Background
An important goal of production and operations management is reducing cycle time-the time it takes to complete a task or process. The goal in cycle time reduction is to reduce costs and/or increase customer service.39 Many experts believe that the rate of change in our society is so fast that a firm must master speed and connectivity.40 Connectivity refers to a seamless integration of customers, suppliers, employees, and organizational, production, and operations management. The use of the Internet and other telecommunications systems helps many organizations connect and reduce cycle time.
Task
Break up into pairs throughout the class. Select two businesses (local restaurants, retail stores, etc.) that both of you frequent, are employed by, and/or are fairly well acquainted with. For the first business, one of you will role-play the "manager" and the other will role-play the "customer." Reverse roles for the second business you have selected. As managers at your respective businesses, you are to prepare a list of five questions you will ask the customer during the role-play. The questions you prepare should be designed to get the customer's viewpoint on how good the cycle time is at your business. If one of the responses leads to a problem area, you may need to ask a follow-up question to determine the nature of the dissatisfaction. Prepare one main question and a follow-up, if necessary, for each of the five dimensions of cycle time:
1. Speed -the delivery of goods and services in the minimum time; efficient communications; the elimination of wasted time.
2. Connectivity -all operations and systems in the business appear connected with the customer.
3. Interactive relationships -a continual dialog exists among operations units, service providers, and customers that permits the exchange of feedback on concerns or needs.
4. Customization -each product is tailored to the needs of the customer.
5. Responsiveness -the willingness to make adjustments and be flexible to help customers and to provide prompt service when a problem develops.
Begin the two role-plays. When it is your turn to be the manager, listen carefully when your partner answers your prepared questions. You need to elicit information on how to improve the cycle time at your business. You will achieve this by identifying the problem areas (weaknesses) that need attention.
After completing both role-play situations, fill out the form on the next page for the role-play when you were the manager. You may not have gathered enough information to fill in all the boxes.
For example, for some categories, the customer may have had only good things to say; for others, the comments may all be negative. Be prepared to share the information you gain with the rest of the class.
I role-played the manager at (business). After listening carefully to the customer's responses to my five questions, I determined the following strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the cycle time at my business: