Flowchart of a Product Request

Introduction

Flowcharts can be used to delineate a certain process. Specifically, an organizational flowchart displays the individuals or teams that constitute the entity and the manner in which they interact. They can augment communication through the distribution of knowledge regarding who to speak to. Furthermore, they can be employed to reorganize the prevailing entity. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the flowchart of a particular activity within an organization.

Flowchart Analysis

Sign off on inventory list

Damaged?

In stock?

Order New Item

Check inventory list for product location

Log Request on computer

Wait

Customer Request

The flowchart illustrated above encompasses the activity of a consumer requesting for a product within the organization. The process begins with a consumer making the request of the product necessitated. The information needed in this part of the process includes the make, model, and specific information of the product to ensure that the personnel comprehend. This is followed by the waiting process for confirmation by the employees. The third process of the activity is the logging in of the consumer request. This can be done by several people. However, these individuals have to be given the authorizations to do so through log ins and passwords of the computer. The main technology used in this phase is the organizational software programs that outline the catalog of the products at hand and the prices of the product. The policies and rules encompassed in determining where the step is executed includes the personnel granted authority to log in to the computer and also consumer requests.

Once the sales representative with the log-in authorities gains access into the system, he or she checks whether the product is contained within the inventory list of the organization. On one hand, if the product is not there, then the personnel makes an order for the product item requested by the client to be created or included in the incoming inventory. On the other hand, if the product is in fact within the inventory list, then the personnel checks the inventory list within the system to make a determination where the product is located in terms of the different retail stores. The following phase of the process is to ascertain whether the product is damaged or it is in good shape. On the one hand, if the product is damaged in the location, then the employee makes a new order the product requested by the consumer. However, if in fact the product is not damaged and is in fact in good condition, then the product is signed off on the inventory list. This is done by a specific person. The key reason for this is to not only ensure accountability within the organization, but also to make certain that items within the inventory list are not signed in or signed off without knowledge. The technology necessitated in this includes specific passwords and codes for the supervisor to hand in so as to permit the product’s signing off.

Metrics are used within an organization to make certain that procedures and practices are running smoothly and in an efficacious manner. The key metric that is employed in assessing this particular organizational process is inventory levels and accuracy. It is imperative to conduct a tracking of how much the personnel and the organization in its entirety have given out regarding specific products within the inventory list. Tracking the organization’s inventory levels is beneficial in determining how much inventory should be kept on hand, facilitates the calculation of product seasonality, and also aids in the comprehension of the significant aspects of the processes. In addition, this metrics aids in attaining precision through inventory counts (Syntetos, 2014).

This particular organizational activity encompasses of different stages. There are specific areas that could necessitate improvements to take place to ensure more efficacy within the organization. First, the log-in request process could be improved by having an online system where the consumers can automatically ascertain whether the product necessitated is in fact produced and kept by the organization. This decreases the time used in the waiting process for the consumer. It is imperative to note that if several consumers want to make requests, then the organization will experience a long queue and this could result in consumer dissatisfaction and also loss of prospective consumers. Alternatively, the organization could choose to increase the number of authorized personnel with log-ins and passwords to expedite that process. This will ensure that the consumer does not have to wait for a lengthy period as compared to before. An additional process that could be improved is to have contact numbers of the different locations in order to increase the speed of confirming whether the products within the list are damaged or in good shape.