4 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION EXERCISE The beginning step in studying a productive system is to develop a description of that system. Once a system is described, we can better determine why the system works well or poorly and recommend production-related improvements. Because most of us are familiar with fast-food restaurants, try your hand at describing the production system employed at, say, a McDonald's. In doing so, answer the following questions:

a. What are the important aspects of the service package?

b. Which skills and attitudes are needed by the service personnel?

c. How can customer demand be altered?

d. Provide a rough-cut blueprint of the delivery system. (It is not necessary to provide execution times. Just diagram the basic flow through the system.) Critique the blueprint. Are there any unnecessary steps or can failure points be eliminated?

e. Can the customer/provider interface be changed to include more technology? More self- serve?

f. Which measures are being used to evaluate the service? Which could be used?