Reference no: EM132401372

Action Items

Write 2-3 paragraphs (double-spaced) APA format (space 2) in which you include the following items as a draft of your problem statement:

1. A short background on the problem situation.
2. A description of the problem symptoms.
3. A concise statement of the problem in one sentence.

Note: Do not think about solutions yet; just focus on describing your problem for right now.

A fairly small grocery market sells specialty goods including a unique assortment of coffee beans. Customers select their bag of coffee beans from the shelf and can take them home as-is to grind later or they can grind the entire bag in the store using one of the store's two machines, which are located directly

Scenario 1: Coffee Grinder Dilemma

beside the coffee bean aisle. Lately, customers have been complaining at increasing rates that the grinders are always dirty, clogged up, and generally in poor working condition. As a result, coffee-bean sales are down and customers have expressed their dissatisfaction about not being able to go home with their favorite coffee beans already ground. 

As store manager, you determine the coffee-bean grinder situation is a problem you need to resolve fairly soon, so you gather several members of your staff and begin the problem-solving process. Your first step is to sort through the various complaints and issues to frame the problem correctly.

Some conditions and constraints:

• The market is well staffed all the time.
• Employees take pride in providing excellent customer service, in fact this is something that the market relies on as a competitive advantage.
• Among the aisles of groceries, there is a tasting booth where staff is always providing samples of food items for customers to try.The booth is not currently near where the coffee bean grinders are located.

As store manager, you determine the coffee-bean grinder situation is a problem you need to resolve fairly soon, so you gather several members of your staff and begin the problem-solving process. Your first step is to sort through the various complaints and issues to frame the problem correctly.

Scenario 2: Fighting Like Cats and Dogs

A local veterinarian's office is experiencing heavy patient traffic in the mornings as clients drop off pets for boarding, grooming, and out-patient procedures (i.e., spaying, neutering, dental cleanings) along with the patient traffic related to regular office visits. Moreover, cat owners have expressed concern that the high volume of barking dogs arriving in the lobby in the morning is quite stressful for other clients, especially those with cats or other small non-barking animals. Cat-owner clients have begun to refuse taking morning appointments, causing the mid-day schedule to be over-booked and resulting in empty, unscheduled doctors' hours in the morning. Some clients have left the practice, opting to go to cat-only practices and other dog-owners have opted to go to find day-care facilities where drop-off is less hectic.

Veterinarians and tech staff are have also expressed concerns about the heavy patient load in the mid-day, noting that pet-patient care suffers when the doctors are over-scheduled. 

Some conditions and constraints:

• The veterinarian practice includes five practicing veterinarians, with at least three working all hours the clinic is open.
• There are also eight vet technicians, and at least five are on staff all hours the clinic is open.
• The clinic is open six days per week, with extended evening hours on Mondays and a partial day on Saturdays.
• The clinic also includes a boarding and day-care facility, which has a separate entrance and separate boarding staff.
• The facility is fairly roomy, with one main entrance in the lobby, six exam rooms, a surgery center, a cat-boarding room, and shelving for specialty foods and other supplies.The facility sits alone on a large piece of property, which the practice owns.
• The front desk reception area is very well-staffed and clients and their pets are usually greeted quickly.There is ample comfortable seating while clients and their pets wait to be taken to the exam room.

As office manager for this growing veterinarian practice, you realize the importance of your pet-patients' health and safety, as well as client satisfaction, so you have made it your top priority to address and resolve the situation. Your first step is to sort through the various complaints and issues to frame the problem correctly.