Class Excercise - Session 2

EXERCISE 1: PROCESS IMPROVEMENT AT AIR PORT
Delhi International Airport Limited manages IGI Airport. To maintain excellent customer
service standards and anticipation of new govt. regulations, airport management sought to
take leadership in improving customer flow through its airport security checkpoints.
To understand the flow, management started with a single security line comprising an X-ray
scanner for carry-on items and a screening station for passengers. Arriving customers first
prepare themselves for the inspection by removing belts, coats and shoes, emptying their
pockets, and separating electronic gear from other personal items. They then deposit all bags
in trays on the scanner and proceed personally to the screening stations. Once the screening is
completed, passengers retrieve their belongings, put on their shoes, belts, coats, and exit the
facility.
On average, it takes passengers 30 seconds to prepare for the line, and to place all carry-on
items in trays for the X-ray scanner. The X-ray scanner takes 40 seconds per tray, and the
average passenger utilizes 1.5 trays. The personal screening station requires 30 seconds per
person. Finally, retrieving of belongings and getting reorganized takes 60 seconds. All the
times mentioned represent activity time at the various activities and don’t include the effects
of waiting.
a. Draw a process map for the security check process
b. What is the theoretical Flow time (Throughput time) of the security check process?
c. What is the impact on theoretical Flow-time of the process if the personal screening
activity is expedited to 20 seconds?
Solution :
IGI Airport Security Check Process Analysis:
a. Process Map:
Start -> Prepare for line (30 seconds) -> Place items in trays (40 seconds/tray * 1.5
trays) -> X-ray scanner (60 seconds) -> Personal screening (30 seconds) -> Collect
belongings (60 seconds) -> End
b. Theoretical Flow Time:
Flow time represents the total time a passenger spends going through the security
check process. We need to add all individual activity times:
Flow time = Prepare + Trays + Scanner + Screening + Collect
Flow time = 30 seconds + (40 seconds/tray * 1.5 trays) + 60 seconds + 30 seconds +

60 seconds
Flow time = 30 seconds + 60 seconds + 60 seconds + 30 seconds + 60 seconds
Flow time = 240 seconds = 4 minutes
c. Impact of Expedited Screening:
Reducing personal screening time from 30 seconds to 20 seconds will directly affect
the overall flow time:
New flow time = 30 seconds + (40 seconds/tray * 1.5 trays) + 60 seconds + 20
seconds + 60 seconds
New flow time = 30 seconds + 60 seconds + 60 seconds + 20 seconds + 60 seconds
New flow time = 230 seconds = 3 minutes 50 seconds
Improvement: Expediting personal screening reduces the theoretical flow time by 10

seconds, or approximately 4.17%.
Additional Notes:
 This analysis only considers average processing times and doesn't factor in
queueing time, which can significantly impact total experience.
 Other factors like individual passenger variability and server availability can also
affect flow time.
 Analyzing queueing data and considering bottlenecks could further optimize the
process.
EXERCISE 2 : PROCESS IMPROVEMENT AT HOSPITAL
Ayush Hospital has been under recent pressure from stakeholders to improve cost efficiency
and customer service. In response, the hospital has undertaken a series of process-
improvement initiatives. One of the first processes targeted for improvement was the X-ray
service. A major concern identified by both physicians and patients has been the amount of
time required to obtain an X-ray. In addition, management would like to make sure that
available resources are utilized efficiently. A process-improvement team was set up to study
the X-ray service process and recommend improvements. The team identified the point of
entry into the process as the instant that a patient leaves the physician’s office to walk to the
X-ray lab. The point of exit was defined as the instant that both the patient and the completed
X-ray 4 film are ready to enter the physician’s office for diagnosis. The unit of flow is a
patient. To determine the flow time of the existing process, a random sample of 50 patients
was observed over a two-week period. For each patient, the team recorded times of entry and
exit from the X-ray service process. The difference between these two times was then used as
a measure of flow time for each patient. The average of the 50 data points was 154
minutes. This figure, then, serves as an estimate of the average flow time for the X-ray
service process. The corresponding process flowchart is shown in below mentioned. It depicts
all activities and the precedence relationships among them. For example, Activity 2 must be
completed before Activity 3 can begin. Meanwhile, Activity 1 can be carried out
simultaneously with Activities 2 and 3. The team analyzing the process flowchart identified
four activity paths:
Sl. Activity Description Time

No.
Start Patient leaves the physician’s office --
1 Patient walks to the X-ray lab. 7
2 The X-ray request travels to the X-ray lab by a messenger 20
3 An X-ray technician fills out a standard form based on the 6
Information supplied by the physician.
4 The receptionist receives from the patient information concerning 5
Insurance, prepares and signs a claim form, and sends to the insurer.
5 Patient undresses in preparation for X-ray 3
6 A lab technician takes X-rays. 7.5
7 A darkroom technician develops X-rays 15
8 A lab technician prepares X-rays for transfer 2.5
9 Patient puts on clothes and gets ready to leave lab. 3
10 Patient walks back to the physician’s office 7
11 The X-rays are transferred to the physician by a messenger 20
End Patient and X-rays arrive at the physician’s office --
Questions:
1. What is the Flow Efficiency and its implication?

2. What are your prescription for improving the X- ray process?
Solution : Flow Efficiency and Implications:
Flow efficiency (FE) represents the percentage of total process time that adds value to
the customer (patient). To calculate FE, we need the value-added time (VAT) and total
flow time (TFT):
Missing Information:
 We don't have the specific value-added activities defined in the process

flowchart.
However, we can estimate a lower bound for FE:
Assuming only activities directly related to X-ray taking and interpretation (6, 7, 8) are
value-added, their total time is 25 minutes (7.5 + 15 + 2.5).
Lower bound FE = (VAT / TFT) * 100% = (25 minutes / 154 minutes) * 100% ≈ 16.23%
Implications:
 A low FE indicates significant non-value-added activities are consuming time.

 This means patients spend much longer waiting and undergoing unnecessary
steps than actually acquiring the X-ray.
 It suggests potential for significant process improvement and faster turnaround
times.
2. Prescriptions for Improvement:
Based on the limited information, here are some suggestions:
 Reduce Patient Waiting: Activities 1, 9, and 10 contribute only to waiting

time. Explore options like scheduling appointments, providing changing rooms
closer to the X-ray lab, or having patients wait in the physician's office until X-
rays are ready.
 Minimize Information Flow: Combine activities 2 and 3 by having the
physician electronically send X-ray requests directly to the lab, eliminating
messenger delays.
 Optimize Staff Utilization: Consider cross-training technicians to perform
multiple tasks (e.g., filling forms while waiting for X-ray development).
 Streamline Claim Processing: Explore integrating insurance verification and
claim submissions with the hospital's information system to remove manual
steps.
 Invest in Technology: Implement digital X-ray viewing systems to avoid
physical transfer and enable immediate availability to physicians.
 Process Mapping and Time Studies: Conduct a more detailed process
analysis with actual time measurements for each activity. This will help identify
specific bottlenecks and prioritize improvement efforts.

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EXERCISE 1: PROCESS IMPROVEMENT AT AIR PORT

b. Theoretical Flow Time:

Flow time = Prepare + Trays + Scanner + Screening + Collect

Flow time = 30 seconds + (40 seconds/tray * 1.5 trays) + 60 seconds + 30 seconds +

Flow time = 30 seconds + 60 seconds + 60 seconds + 30 seconds + 60 seconds

Flow time = 240 seconds = 4 minutes

c. Impact of Expedited Screening:

New flow time = 30 seconds + 60 seconds + 60 seconds + 20 seconds + 60 seconds

New flow time = 230 seconds = 3 minutes 50 seconds

Improvement: Expediting personal screening reduces the theoretical flow time by 10

Sl. Activity Description Time

1. What is the Flow Efficiency and its implication?

 We don't have the specific value-added activities defined in the process

However, we can estimate a lower bound for FE:

 A low FE indicates significant non-value-added activities are consuming time.

2. Prescriptions for Improvement:

Based on the limited information, here are some suggestions:

 Reduce Patient Waiting: Activities 1, 9, and 10 contribute only to waiting

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