Page 391 - Design for Six Sigma for Service (Six SIGMA Operational Methods)

Design and Improvement of Service Processes—Process Management 351

• Scheduling and routing
• Onboard service
• Transporting
• Customers leaving

The resources needed for a transportation process typically include vehicles,
ships, airplanes, air hubs, sorting centers, a high-capacity computer information
system, a sophisticated scheduling and routing system, and well-trained
employees.

The answers to the following questions may be very helpful in designing
and improving a transportation process:
• How many of each vehicle are required to meet passenger demand?
• Which transportation routes will maximize productivity?
• How many customers can there be per vehicle?
• How can the departures be scheduled for maximizing customer con-
venience?
• How many shifts and service providers do we need?
• What procedures can be used (for example, preassigning seats) to
minimize service time?
• How will reliability procedures (baggage checking, etc.) affect overall
service time?
The common decision variables for a transportation process include
• Size and location of loading and unloading areas
• Number, size, and speed of transportation vehicles
• Scheduling of departure and arrival times
• Scheduling of vehicles and operators
• Maintenance scheduling
The common problems in a transportation process include
1. Excessive delays
2. Poor customer services
3. Excessive travel cost
These common problems are often caused by
• Poor transportation process design
• Poor scheduling and routing
• Unbalanced processes or bottlenecks
• Poor operation management
• Poor equipment maintenance
• Poor service provider discipline or motivation