First discussion Explain why you picked that process. Before signing up for the Army I worked as a mechanic, I also was a mechanic for the Army for a while too. One thing that use to drive me crazy was the repair parts inventory, what and how many of it should be stocked? Cars are forever changing and improving, so what is needed this year could likely be obsolete next. There are many different systems out there to manage that. However, nuts and bolts will always be required, but size, shape, length, and quantity; and though it might not be as frequent, they will change too. In most shops this is referred to as bench or shop stock. I have seen two different methods for managing bench stock: the first being “hey boss, we running low on half inch course thread”, or trust a third party company to manage it for you. The first method doesn’t have much of a process to it, fill the box when its empty; the other, the process belongs to the company that restocks for you. Explain the steps you might take to analyze how to improve the process. 1. conduct inventory on existing stock 2. every piece gets a stock number 3. pieces use tracked by stock number 4. items added to ticket to track use / charge customer 5. set reorder points on each stock number 6. manage/reduce items not being use as frequently 7. track and add stock requirements of new items based on history Who should be involved with you? 1. shop manager 2. shop foreman 3. parts supervisor 4. parts clerks 5. mechanics What are some of the questions you should ask about the current process? 1. What do you do with items that are no longer used and needed? 2. What is the customer turnaround time if item is not in stock verse when it is in stock? 3. How much money is spent yearly on wasted stock? How will you know if the process was actually improved? 1. Overall customer wait time reduced 2. Less waste 3. Improved organization 4. money saved SECOND DISCUSSION I could think of many processes that need much revision or are just pointless in a sense and cause more headache than not. There is one system worth mentioning, Tatel. This is a data that keeps track of time and attendance ie., (PTO, LWOP, overtime) for government employees and while its pretty efficient, there are a few flaws worth mentioning. Once all applicable hours for employees have been saved, the system then requires you to submit the information entered for processing. The system is then locked while accountants in another department complete all of there calculations and deductions. The problem with this is that the system stays locked for 5 days, while still receiving leave requests. Essential, I'm loaded with days worth work to cram in before it opens and locks for the next cycle again. Explain the steps you might take to analyze how to improve the process. First I would find out how the current process is handled on the back-end and the steps taken to complete the job. I would also request an in person observation to allow for a clear understanding procedures. It is critical to understand how a process is currently conducted, often referred to as the "as is" process (UMGC, n.d.) This will help in identifying areas of improvement and possible systems recommendations. An electronic system that calculates hours nightly would be ideal and cuts down on processing times. Explain why you picked that process. I chose this process because, I've worked at several other companies who's time & attendance systems were much more efficient and less time consuming. One of which had a selfservice time sheet system. Who should be involved with you? 1. Director 2. Managers 3. System developers What are some of the questions you should ask about the current process? 1. How is the information imputed, Manually? 2. Number of people performing tasks. 3. How is information gathered. How will you know if the process was actually improved? Processing times would be cut. THIRD DISCUSSION While reading our discussion topic this week and having to lead this discussion drawing on a process used at my place of work, I could think of no better example from what I saw just this morning. First, a little background is needed, so here we go. I’m currently serving the US Navy onboard one of our newest vessels. Our ship recently moved into a planned repair facility which garners a massive influx of shipyard workers. That being said, it was announced last night that personal belongings have gone missing and spaces were being broken into. My leadership's plan to address this was to ramp up individual searches on everyone entering or leaving the ship. That sounds like a logical idea, right? Well, the backup and congestion in my immediate work center, not to mention the delay this congestion and process has created for some of my Sailors, I felt like this would be fun to dissect and requires serious improvement. Steps I would analyze how to improve the process would include: 1) Create a log of all locations reporting break-ins or items stolen. 2) Identify what shift/crews are on duty each day. 3) Identify entry and exit points of the ship. 4) Identify missing items to be searching for. 5) Identify the time slot individuals leave the ship. Individuals who should be involved: 1) Security Officer 2) Executive Officer 3) Entry and exit point watchstanders Questions needed to be asked about the current process: 1) Why are we checking bags for stolen items when individuals are first entering the ship? Process improved proof: 1) Items recovered 2) Loss of congestion at entry and exit locations MAIN QUESTION Drawing from your own experience, select a process (a set of specified steps to accomplish a task) used at your place of work or in your interaction with a business that you would like to see improved and briefly describe the process. Be sure you have identified a specific process rather than a general business problem or area. 1) Explain why you picked that process. 2) Explain the steps you might take to analyze how to improve the process. 3) Who should be involved with you? 4) What are some of the questions you should ask about the current process? 5) How will you know if the process was actually improved? 
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