Complexity’s pleasures.

Being apart of this research as broadened my horizons. While moving research forward I have learned ideas and disciplines that I would of never ran into during a standard biology major education. One of the more recent things I have been exposed to do to research is ‘System Complexity’.

I’ve read articles and books about System Complexity and found it quite interesting. The concepts lends nicely to the research. In multiple writings the level of complexity a system contains is directly related to the rate of errors or disruptions that happen in the system. As we bring in more data this concept might prove true in services and production companies we are studying.

Another thing I found delightful about System Complexity is that the research surrounding it largely uses organic system to illustrate the concept. This has allowed me to directly use the knowledge I have gain in my biology classes to better this research.  

Studying complexity has been a highlight during this research.

Congratulations

Congratulations Jarvis!  The Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs has announced that one of our undergraduate team researchers, Jarvis Xu, has received the Mary Gates Research Scholarship for Spring and Summer, 2014. 

reflect on the F-22 program paper

Browning, Tyson R. and Ralph D. Heath (2009). “Reconceptualizing the Effects of Lean on Production Costs with Evidence from the F-22 Program,” Journal of operation Management, 27 (1): 23-44

According to Browning and Heath (2008), lean production can reduce waste during the manufacturing processes. By minimizing the amount of waste, manufacturers can decrease their manufacturing cost. However, lean production is not always saving money for manufacturers. When the waste was reduced to a certain level, such little waste will actually increase the production cost. Browning and Heath investigate the discrepancy above with an analysis of how lean production relates to the added cost. They find out that lean production method creates uncertainty for the manufacturers. In order to be lean, manufacturers are required to modify its internal and external process to minimize its waste as much as possible. Based on the nature of different processes, modifying processes can be challenging. Those challenges contribute to the uncertainty that lean production method create. Depending on how lean the production-processes are, the uncertainty will vary from low to high. One feasible method to handle those uncertainties is utilizing the agile production method that believes that manufactures should have a certain level of production-resource as inventory to deal with uncertainty.  

Report on my second interview

  On Feb 24^th, I interviewed my friend who was manager assistant in a Chinese fast-food restaurant .  The order processes of the restaurant are started when customers get to the waiting line. Then, customers need to walk through a order line to order their food. Because of the special layout of Panda Express, customers will have their food when they are waking through the line. At the end of the waiting line, there are cashier stations. As a manager assistant, she needs to monitor the whole ordering processes to ensure her employees worked as efficiently as they can.           

             According to her, a couple caused the most extreme disruption that she encountered in last month. The couple had not ordered food in the Panda Express before, so they needed longer time than other customers to order food. As a result, they blocked the order lines, and the customers behind them had to wait for a longer time than usual. According to her, every customer in her restaurant gets served in less than 4 minutes. The blocked order line meant a profit loss. Therefore, She categorized this event as the most extreme disruptions. When she decided to give the couple simple food, the disruption was settled because the couple finally understood what they want to order and walked through the order line.