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Part Three
Planning and control
Worked example 4
An ordinary flight, just a trip to Amsterdam for two or three days. Breakfast was a little
rushed but left the house at 6.15. Had to return a few minutes later, forgot my passport.
Managed to find it and leave (again) by 6.30. Arrived at the airport 7.00, dropped Angela
off with bags at terminal and went to the long-term car park. Eventually found a parking
space after 10 minutes. Waited 8 minutes for the courtesy bus. Six minute journey
back to the terminal, we start queuing at the check-in counters by 7.24. Twenty minute
wait. Eventually get to check-in and find that we have been allocated seats at different ends
of the plane. Staff helpful but takes 8 minutes to sort it out. Wait in queue for security
checks for 10 minutes. Security decide I look suspicious and search bags for 3 minutes.
Waiting in lounge by 8.05. Spend 1 hour and 5 minutes in lounge reading computer
magazine and looking at small plastic souvenirs. Hurrah, flight is called 9.10, takes
2 minutes to rush to the gate and queue for further 5 minutes at gate. Through the gate
and on to air bridge which is continuous queue going onto plane, takes 4 minutes but
finally in seats by 9.21. Wait for plane to fill up with other passengers for 14 minutes.
Plane starts to taxi to runway at 9.35. Plane queues to take-off for 10 minutes. Plan takes
off 9.45. Smooth flight to Amsterdam, 55 minutes. Stacked in queue of planes waiting
to land for 10 minutes. Touch down at Schipol Airport 10.50. Taxi to terminal and wait
15 minutes to disembark. Disembark at 11.05 and walk to luggage collection (calling at
lavatory on way), arrive luggage collection 11.15. Wait for luggage 8 minutes. Through
customs (not searched by Netherlands security who decide I look trustworthy) and to
taxi rank by 11.26. Wait for taxi 4 minutes. In to taxi by 11.30, 30 minutes ride into
Amsterdam. Arrive hotel 12.00.
Analysis
How much of all this time was value-added? The total elapsed time, or throughput time,
for the whole process was between 6.15 and 12.00, i.e. 5 hours 45 minutes. A detailed
analysis of what was happening to the items being processed (Angela and me) indicates
the following breakdown.
Time waiting in queue for check-in, luggage, etc. = 59 minutes
Time being ‘served’ at end of queue = 11 minutes
Waiting in lounge/plane etc. = 1 hour 55 minutes
Generally non-value-added moving about in airports, car parks etc. = 31 minutes
Quality error because I forgot my passport = 15 minutes
Value-added travelling time in car + plane + taxi = 1 hour 55 minutes.
So, only 1 hour 55 minutes of a total throughput time of 5 hours 45 minutes was spent
in value-added activity. That is, 33.3 per cent value-added. Note, this was a smooth flight
with no appreciable problems or delays.
Examine the shape of process flow
The pattern that flow makes within or between processes is not a trivial issue. Processes
that have adopted the practice of curving line arrangements into U-shaped or ‘serpentine’
arrangements can have a number of advantages (U shapes are usually used for shorter
lines and serpentines for longer lines). One authority sees the advantages of this type of flow
patterns as staffing flexibility and balance, because the U shape enables one person to tend
several pieces of work, rework, because it is easy to return faulty work to an earlier station,
free flow, because long straight lines interfere with cross-travel in the rest of the operation,
and teamwork, because the shape encourages a team feeling.