Answer all of the questions below.

1.  Develop a process map for the following outdated course registration process in place at a local university:

 Students first fill out forms listing their desired classes. They bring those completed forms to the academic advisement office, where, working with an advisor, they create a course selection document. Then, the student fills out a computer-readable form with the course and section number for all classes approved by the advisor. This form is submitted to the registration office where it is fed into a document reader, which electronically reads the completed forms; the data is then written to the master course schedule disk.

•  At the end of the two-week registration period, data from the master course schedule disk is fed into the master scheduling program, which assigns students to courses. The scheduling program is designed to maximize the number of students who receive their requested courses while staying within class capacity limits. Once the master scheduling program has been updated for all students, the program produces three documents: (1) individual schedules for each student, (2) initial student lists for each class, and (3) the summary schedule report for the administration.

•  After students receive their schedules, they are allowed to drop or add classes for a period of two weeks. To add or drop a class, a student must first obtain permission from the professor teaching the class. Once that signature is obtained on the drop/add form, the student brings the form to the computer center where the clerk enters the change into the scheduling system, which in turn updates the master course disk. The clerk then prints out a new schedule for that student.

2.  Develop a swimlane process map for the online ordering process for Active Bicycle Company, shown below. Each of the following functions should be one swimlane: sales, accounting, warehouse, and shipping.

•  The process begins when a customer submits an online order form to Active Bicycle via the web. The customer supplies his or her name, address, email address, model number of the bicycle they desire, and credit card number.

•  When the customer clicks on the "Confirm" button on the webpage, Active Bicycle’s system gets approval for the transaction from the credit card company. If the credit charge is approved, the system assigns a number to the sales order, displays an order summary for the customer to print, and sends a confirmation email to the customer. If the credit charge is denied, the customer is asked to provide a different form of payment.

•  The system then generates a two-part invoice, a stock release form, and a two-part packing slip form. The stock release form is sent to the Warehouse Department, and the two-part packing slip and one copy of the invoice are sent to the Shipping Department. The other copy of the invoice is maintained in a holding file in the Accounting Department to be filed later with the shipping certificate.

•  In the warehouse, employees use the stock release form to pull the appropriate inventory to fill the order. Assuming there is enough stock (for the purposes of this exercise you can assume there is enough stock), the bicycle is packed into a special box for shipping, with added protection so it will not be damaged in transit. Using the stock release form, the warehouse staff inputs data into the inventory management program to update the master inventory file. The warehouse clerk also must take the information from the stock release form and manually fill out a shipping certificate, which is sent to the Accounting Department for a further check that the items are being released from the warehouse. The boxed inventory, along with the packing slip, is then sent to the Shipping Department.

•  In the Shipping Department, one copy of the two-part packing slip is placed in the Shipping Department’s file cabinet, and one is included with the goods to be sent to the customer.

•  Back in the Accounting Department, the shipping certificate is matched with the copy of the invoice, and the accounting database is updated to record the completion of the order. The accounting program then submits a payment request to the credit card company, and both the shipping certificate and the invoice are filed in the accounting office.

3.  Develop a process map for the following request-for-quote process: 

Your company assembles affordable washing machines from purchased parts. Your customers buy in bulk from you and then relabel the washing machines with their own brand. Customers typically want unique features for their washers, and they often submit a request for new features or other design changes, which results in a new model being created. Customers initiate the new design process by submitting a request for quotation (RFQ), which is a document that provides all the details for the new washing machine model, including the quantity to be ordered. Your company responds to the RFQ with a written quote, which details the cost for an order that would meet the requirements of the RFQ. Many different departments, as well as the manufacturers of the washing machine component parts, are involved in creating the quote. The Sales Department must work closely with the Costing Department, the Procurement Department, and the Assembly Department to provide a competitive quote to the customer. Create a swimlane flowchart to document the flow of information between departments and external partners in creating the quote, using the following information:

The following internal departments are involved in the RFQ process:

•  Sales: Receives the customer’s request for a price quote; creates the final quote and sends it to the customer.

•  Assembly: Prepares production documents that detail the labor, tools, and equipment required to produce the new washing machine.

•  Procurement: Creates RFQs for vendors for any new components needed for the new design.

•  Costing (accounting): Computes the final cost estimate.

The following external parties are involved in the RFQ process:

•  Customer: Submits a request for a price quote; receives the completed RFQ.

•  Vendor: Receives the request for a quote on the cost of component parts, computes their costs, and submits a bid.

4.  Develop an event process chain (EPC) diagram for the following staff recruiting process at Yellow Brook Photography.

•  The current recruitment process for Yellow Brook Photography takes approximately 90 days. It begins when a manager completes a requisition and sends it to the Human Resources Department. The Human Resources Department reviews and assigns a number to the requisition and returns it to the manager for approval. He or she approves it, obtains the required approval signatures, and then returns it to Human Resources.

•  Next, Human Resources creates a job posting and announces the position internally through the company’s intranet, bulletin boards, or a binder of current job openings. Human Resources collects responses internally for eight days. After that, Human Resources solicits resumes from external sources by advertising in newspapers and online. Human Resources then pre-screens the resumes and forwards information on qualified candidates to the hiring manager for review. The hiring manager tells Human Resources which candidates should be interviewed. Human Resources conducts brief phone interviews of candidates recommended by the hiring manager; if the phone interview is promising, Human Resources schedules on-site interviews. Candidates interview with the hiring manager and with a Human Resources staff member. Human Resources records the interviews in an applicant flow log.

•  Once a candidate is selected for hire, Human Resources and the hiring manager prepare an offer, and a background check on the candidate is initiated. Then, the hiring manager must approve the offer and obtain the required approval signatures on a job offer approval form. Subsequently, the hiring manager extends the offer verbally to the candidate, while Human Resources sends the written offer, including an employment start date. Once the applicant accepts the offer, a drug screening is scheduled for the candidate, who must also sign the offer letter and return it to Human Resources. At that point, Human Resources notifies the hiring manager of the candidate’s acceptance. Finally, if the drug test comes back negative, the new employee completes new-hire orientation on the first day of work.