Getting a physical examination at a physician’s office involves a series of steps. The table below lists these activities and their average times. The activities can occur in any order, but the doctor’s consultation must be the last. Three nurses are assigned to perform activities 1, 2, and 4.
a. What are the bottleneck activity and the maximum number of patients who can be seen per hour?
b. Suggest a reallocation of nursing and/or doctor activities that would result in increased service capacity, and draw a product flow diagram. What is the capacity of your improved system?