This report aims to address a real-life problem and propose a conceptual model to solve it. The report is divided into several sections, starting with a description of the problem, followed by the conceptual model development, assumptions, flowchart description, and finally, the stochastic and deterministic elements. The report concludes with a summary of the proposed solution.

2. Real-Life Problem Description

The real-life problem that our group has chosen to address is the issue of food waste in the restaurant industry. The amount of food waste generated by restaurants has become a significant environmental concern, and it is estimated that 11.4 million tons of food waste are produced in the US alone each year.

To tackle this problem, we have decided to focus on a restaurant chain with multiple locations. Our proposed system will aim to reduce food waste by optimizing food inventory management and minimizing overproduction. We believe that this system will not only reduce food waste but also improve the restaurant chain's profitability by reducing food costs.

Our system boundary includes the restaurant chain's inventory management system, the kitchen, and the dining area. The system domain includes the restaurant chain's operations, such as food ordering, inventory management, food preparation, and serving.

3. Conceptual Model Development

We have developed a conceptual model for our proposed system, which includes the following elements:

Entities: Food items, ingredients, inventory, kitchen staff, servers, customers

Attributes: Quantity, expiration date, cost, recipe, cooking time, serving time, customer preference

Activities: Food ordering, food preparation, food serving, inventory management, waste disposal

Events: Customer arrival, food delivery, food consumption, food expiration

State Variables: Inventory level, food quality, customer satisfaction, waste level

Our model assumes that the restaurant chain has access to real-time inventory data and customer preferences. The system will use this data to optimize inventory management and minimize overproduction. We assume that the kitchen staff and servers are trained to follow the system's guidelines to reduce food waste.

4. Assumptions

Our assumptions include the availability of real-time inventory data and the willingness of the restaurant chain's staff to follow the proposed system's guidelines. We also assume that customers will not significantly change their behavior due to the proposed system's implementation.

5. Flowchart Description

Our proposed system's flowchart includes the following steps:

Receive food orders from customers

Update inventory data

Check inventory level and food expiration dates

Prioritize food items based on inventory data and expiration dates

Prepare food based on prioritized food items

Serve food to customers

Monitor food consumption and update inventory data

Dispose of waste properly

The flowchart aims to optimize food inventory management and minimize overproduction while ensuring customer satisfaction.

6. Stochastic and Deterministic Elements

Our proposed system has both stochastic and deterministic elements. The stochastic elements include customer arrival patterns and food expiration rates, which may vary over time. The deterministic elements include inventory data and customer preferences, which will be used to optimize food inventory management and minimize overproduction.

7. Conclusion

In conclusion, our proposed system aims to address the issue of food waste in the restaurant industry by optimizing food inventory management and minimizing overproduction. The conceptual model we have developed includes entities, attributes, activities, events, and state variables. Our assumptions include the availability of real-time inventory data and the ability to predict customer demand accurately.