Analysis of a process improvement path using rapid modeling

Process improvement is frequently discussed as a series of on-going analysis and implementation stages. However, it is often difficult to evaluate the performance trade-offs and the cumulative impact of sequential decisions. This paper takes a simple production system and shows how process changes can be quantitatively evaluated using rapid modeling software. Rapid modeling, which uses queueing relationships to represent the production process, is shown to be an effective tool for gaining an understanding of performance trade-offs. Further, the effects that a path of decisions may have on work-in-process inventory, resource utilizations and product lead times can be studied.