Name: Phạm Phương Hạ Như
ID: IEIEIU19010
Individual Assignment
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Find some case study or observe some overall processes in real life when customers order
product/service until customer receive their product/services then 1) describe, 2)
analyze, and 3) provide your ideas and suggestions one and/or two lean techniques to
reduce and or improve the total lead time for this overall processes .
I.
Introduction
In this exercise, I use a real-life food service experience at Foresta, 2nd floor at International University
(VNU). At 4 P.M, I was able to order immediately (no need to wait in line) because the bar was quite
empty, except for the 3 staffs at the counter, only me and a few people were the guests.
The shop follows the self-service model on the school campus, the area is small, the number of
employees is only about 3-5 people to operate the work in the shop. Therefore, the utensils in the coffee
shop are mainly necessary for preparing and serving customers, leaving space for the arrangement of
tables and chairs to serve guests sitting on the spot.
II.
Process
Figure 1: The process of buying and receiving water at Foresta (photo taken by the bar and displayed at the bar)
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Step 1: Buyers line up and wait for their turn to order
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Step 2: View menu and order drinks
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Step 3: Pay and receive bill
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Step 4: The bartender receives the bill from the customer
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Step 5: Wait for drinks
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Step 6: Receive the drinks
III. Analyze
Step
Duration (s)
Cummulative
1
4
4
2
36
40
3
15
55
4
13
68
5
136
204
6
12
216
L1
L2
L3
Total lead time = 216s
IV. Suggestion
Especially at peak hours, the restaurant serves a large number of customers with long lines. This leads
to overcrowding in the dispensing process, which prolongs the customer's waiting time. In this case, I
will give some solutions of lean techniques to improve processing as well as total lead time for this
overall process:
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During my observations, I noticed that the bartender took time to get to the ingredients, then he
and the rest of the staff were crammed together in the counter just to wash the utensils. One of
the components of the 5s - Seiton, is extremely suitable in this case. The coffee shop can set up
the dispensing flow from left to right. For example, you place the dispensing equipment and
related utensils on the left and when moving to the right, is the area to wash and deliver drinks
to customers. The benefit of this is not only providing a natural flow to the bar, employees can
use the space in the counter without hindering each other's work. One person can mix, the other
can clean, wash the equipment and finish the drink ready to serve customers in the fastest way.
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The bartender space at the bar is really neat and tidy, perhaps in a school environment with high
requirements for hygiene and food. So in this part, the shop has applied the Seiri and Seiso
components in 5s, it is important that the shop always keep its order until the end of the sales
day. Not only that, all staff in the restaurant must be proficient and apply 5s, so the processing
stage is smoother and more natural, limiting excess impact on the customer's experience.