The Bus Drivers

Final Analysis




     The art of process improvement is an essential element in the curriculum of the business world, both large and small. Through the instruction provided by our operations management class, we have learned the importance of such improvement. With this knowledge in mind, we set out to influence a business of our choice in the hopes that our efforts would result in a plan that would be beneficial to the chosen firm. Our goal was not only to help out the business but also to ultimately please its customers.

     Our group began by brainstorming about what type of business needed some type of improvement. We considered many different options including CVS Pharmacy, Sears, and Hodgson's Pharmacy. CVS Pharmacy was our primary option, but upon further investigation they were not willing to cooperate. It seemed the corporate infrastructure would have been too difficult to make an impact. Our next possible place of business, Sears, came by way of suggestion from a group member's roommate. The goal was to decrease the amount of theft at the department store. However, project time constraints prohibited ample time for implementation. Therefore, we decided to go with Hodgson's Pharmacy at five-points here in Athens Georgia. Tommy Hsiao, one of our team members, knows the Hodgsons through the cheerleading department here at the University of Georgia. Dr. Hodgson was more than willing to help us find an aspect of his business to improve. After relentless research, we decided to try to improve on the productivity of the ice cream stand in the store.

     The Hodgson's Pharmacy is renowned in Athens for its inexpensive ice cream. On hot spring afternoons, one can see numerous patrons enjoying ice cream cones and shakes in front of the store. The ice cream stand inside the store is set up like an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. Everything they sell is freshly made in front of the customers, from milkshakes to malts, and even old fashioned cherry cokes. And what keeps customers coming back in spite of the occasional long lines is the positive personal interaction between customer and employee. However, the presence of long lines often deters many potential customers. Therefore we focused our attention on improving the throughput time.

     The preliminary data indicated a throughput time ranging from 48 seconds to 315 seconds with an average time of 175 seconds. In addition to these findings we asked some brief questions of the customers and made some observations to help determine the root causes. Through these questionnaires we found that the favorite flavors were: Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cookies and Cream, Chocolate, and Strawberry. Through our research we found that the length of the line was a determining factor in their decision to purchase ice cream. We also found that personal interaction was a contributing factor to the customers' return. Upon further research we realized that other contributions to the length of lines were being made by the hardness of the ice cream, the ice cream scoop being too cold, and the customers not knowing how to order expediently.
Based on the information collected concerning customer's favorite flavors we learned that the flavors were arranged too closely to one another. We determined that this caused the employees to bump into one another, therefore causing slower work process. Thus, we rearranged the ice cream tubs so that the most popular flavors were not clustered together. Therefore, employees working at the same time would not be bunched up over the same freezer opening.

     One of the causes of the hard ice cream was the arrangement of the stored ice cream in the freezer. Dr. Hodgson told us that there are two layers of tubs in the freezer; the ones on top being served, and the lower ones are the next in line. The colder the ice cream, the harder it is to scoop. Those tubs on the outside edge are kept colder because they are closer to the cooling elements. Therefore, we placed as many of the most popular flavors as possible close to the center of the freezer, so they would thaw out more quickly.

     The team was faced with the dilemma that the ice cream scoopers themselves were not fluidly carving through the ice cream. A warm scooper goes through ice cream much more easily than a cold one. In fact, a cold one will often freeze onto the ice cream. To help solve the scooping problem, we kept a pot of hot water on the spare heating element above the coffee maker and occasionally replaced the water in the scoop cleaner with this hot water.

     To address the problem of people not knowing how to order, we replicated a sign already in use at Hodgson's and placed it in a position closer to the door along the main thoroughfare. Customers would have advanced notice of basic instructions for ordering. The sign asked if the person would like a cup or cone, what flavor ice cream, and how many scoops. In addition, the sign's placement away from the main menu helped eliminate the elements of clutter and confusion at the counter.

     We allowed for a week of implementation adjustment so that our possible solutions could take effect. The beginning numbers were inconsistent but over time the throughput time dropped favorably as a result of our implementations. The original range of throughput time went from 48 seconds to 315 seconds with an average of 175 seconds. After implementation the range of throughput went from 30 seconds to 295 seconds with an average of 120 seconds. This clearly supported our attempt to maximize the ice cream department of Hodgson's Pharmacy. The achievement of our goal to help Hodgson's and its customers is demonstrated by our success in reducing the throughput times. It was only by way of employing operations management principles that we were able to get such effect. We hope that Dr. Hodgson adheres to our suggestions in the future and that they continue to contribute to the success of his ice cream department. If one were to go to Hodgson's on a sunny spring day, the line may be the same length, but it will be moving at a more rapid pace.


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