episode 09 exercise answer 01

Part 1: Solution

Let's see how well you answered the questions.

	1.	How work is scheduled should be based on the objectives of the organization. Which of the following is not likely to be an objective in scheduling the picking of orders at CanGo?
		a. Minimize flow time or time in the system.
		b. Minimize work in process inventory.
		c. Minimize the number of late jobs.
		d. Make sure the orders are processed in the order in which they arrive.
		Your Answer:
		Correct Answer: d
		CanGo may well want to minimize time in the system and the closely related work in process inventory. This is a measure of how quickly orders are being processed. They may also want to minimize the number of late jobs, those not being processed within a certain time after the order is received. CanGo should not be terribly concerned about making sure that orders are processed in order of arrival. Customers are unlikely to know, or care, that orders are processed in this way. They are more likely to be concerned that their orders are processed quickly.

	2.	Suppose Debbie decides that CanGo should minimize the average flow time or time in the system in prioritizing orders. Which of the following priority, or sequencing, rules is most likely to achieve her objectives?
		a. earliest due date
		b. first come, first served
		c. shortest processing time
		d. longest processing time
		Your Answer:
		Correct Answer: c
		The shortest processing time rule is guaranteed to produce the lowest average flow time if we are scheduling jobs at a single operation or work center. This rule will also usually perform quite well if jobs are scheduled across multiple operations.

	3.	Which of the following priority rules is likely to be the least efficient rule for Debbie to use?
		a. earliest due date
		b. first-come, first-served
		c. shortest processing time
		d. longest processing time
		Your Answer:
		Correct Answer: b
		The first-come, first-served rule is generally the most inefficient of the sequencing rules because it does not take into account any of the information about the jobs such as when they are due, how long they take to process, and so forth. In situations where order arrival is random, this rule is equivalent to scheduling jobs in a random order. This is likely to be the case at CanGo since the order in which orders are received is unlikely to be related to any other characteristics of the orders.

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