Our first model, (left),
which represents the current situation,
consists of a client producing,
for example, requests for a loan at a bank. The requests are initially handled by a clerk whose task is to send requests for amounts greater than $10,000 to the boss. The boss, whose task is to approve or deny the loan, sends the result back to the clerk for processing. If the amount is less than $10,000, the clerk has authority to process the request himself.
Redesign alternative:
In our second model, (right),
which is the result of
a redesign effort, requests are handled by a clerk
who enters the data into a computer. The computer now makes the decision as to whether the loan is improved -- for loans of value
less than and greater than 10,000. The clerk then passes the results on to another clerk for the task of dispatching loans.
Our first model, (left),
which represents the current situation,
consists of a client producing,
for example, requests for a loan at a bank. The requests are initially handled by a clerk whose task is to send requests for amounts greater than $10,000 to the boss. The boss, whose task is to approve or deny the loan, sends the result back to the clerk for processing. If the amount is less than $10,000, the clerk has authority to process the request himself.
Redesign alternative:
In our second model, (right),
which is the result of
a redesign effort, requests are handled by a clerk
who enters the data into a computer. The computer now makes the decision as to whether the loan is improved -- for loans of value
less than and greater than 10,000. The clerk then passes the results on to another clerk for the task of dispatching loans.
For more information on business process redesign,
consult [Davenport90], [Hammer90] and [Wastell94].
For an in-depth treatment of simulation, you may read, for example,
[Watkins93].