Introduction to NonStop Operations Management

Problem Management
Introduction to NonStop Operations Management–125507
6-14
Problem Scenario
Problem Scenario
It is late fall and the holiday season is fast approaching. JFC’s business is on the
upswing. The busiest (and most profitable) season of the year is approaching.
On Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m., the operations group gets a call from the manager of
the Telephone Order department at the warehouse, indicating that a terminal is down.
The operations group is busy cleaning up after a system move, and the problem is not
urgent because there are four spare terminals hooked up at the warehouse. So the
operator on duty agrees to look into it within two days.
On Wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m., the operations group gets another call from the
manager of the Telephone Order department, indicating that a second terminal is down.
She is quite concerned now. The busy season is upon her, and she has been preparing for
it by hiring temporary workers. Two more telephone order clerks are scheduled to start
work on Friday. That will leave her with no spare terminals and no margin for error. She
wants the problem fixed today.
Gathering Facts About the Problem
Using the problem-solving worksheet illustrated in Figure 6-4, the operator on duty
determines the following facts about the problem:
Gathering Facts About the Situation
By asking questions about the situation, the operator discovers the following additional
information about the problem:
•
There are two shifts. The day shift hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm. The evening
shift hours are from 4:00 p.m. to midnight. The temporary workers are assigned to
the evening shift.
•
Both terminals are used by the temporary workers during the evening shift.
What? Two terminals are down (unresponsive with blank screens). They are
identified as $WHS2.#TRM7 and $WHS4.#TRM20.
Where? The downed terminals are located in the warehouse. Terminal
$WHS2.#TRM7 is located along the east wall of the warehouse and
terminal $WHS4.#TRM20 is located along the west wall of the
warehouse.
When? The first incident occurred on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. The second
incident occurred on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. Both incidents occurred
at the beginning of the first shift of the day.
Magnitude? This has become a severe problem. By Friday, all working terminals
will be in use. If another terminal goes down, there will be no spare
terminals available.