McDonald's Case Study: Applying Lean Six Sigma for Efficiency

This case study examines how McDonald's can leverage Lean Six Sigma techniques to address operational challenges such as reducing stock outs and minimizing food wastage due to quality issues. The analysis focuses on the sequential application of brainstorming, affinity diagrams, and impact/effort matrices. Brainstorming sessions are used to generate ideas, which are then organized and prioritized using affinity diagrams. Finally, the impact/effort matrix helps in evaluating and selecting the most effective solutions. The study highlights the importance of employee involvement and data-driven decision-making in achieving quality improvements and operational efficiency within McDonald's, with a focus on aligning operations, improving service quality, and maintaining cleanliness.

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Total Quality Management
Case of Macdonald
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Introduction
This paper uses illustrations to propose three suitable lean six sigma techniques from
brainstorming, Affinity Diagram, impact/effort matrix, and analytical hierarchy process. Most
specifically, the paper examines the manner in which the three selected techniques could be used
in sequence by the management of McDonalds to generate, and priorities and evaluates potential
solutions to issues of reducing stock out in stores and reducing food wastage due to food quality.
The application of three six-sigma techniques plays a central role of ensuring that McDonald
solves above problems. More importantly, they will help align the company operations and
ensure that management develops quality improvements. Three techniques for discussion include
brainstorming, affinity diagram, and impact/effort matrix.
1. Reducing stock out in stores
a. Brainstorming
Brainstorming approach requires that employees at McDonald follow simple
brainstorming on what to do and not to do. Vijaya Sunder (2013) explains that brainstorming
session provides an opportunity to generate many ideas on ways to solve a problem.
Furthermore, it is also imperative to note that the implications of brainstorming tools is to
combine both internal as well as relaxed technique for researching the problem with an objective
to come up with the best solution (Gupta, 2015). Application of brainstorming approach at
McDonald will ensure that employees in charge of stock think about the best way to align
development of operations and information. Manager will think about employing more
employees to start taking stock to meet customer needs as well as minimizing many wastages
(Ptacek & Motwani, 2011).

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Figure 1: brainstorming to reduce stock out
Management will follow five stages to come up with an appropriate solution (see figure 1
above). Management must first understand the background information concerning ordering of
stock by managers of outlets that ran on shifts (Gygi & BarCharts, 2016). They will understand
that the simple method in play does not have any form of calculations. Furthermore, the second
and third stages will involve defining the problem and generating the best ideas like the need to
employ more employees to concentrate on delivering high quality food, offering good services,
as well as observing a high level of cleanliness.
b. Affinity Diagram
The affinity diagram shown below will help present a pool of ideas created from the
above brainstorming session. Management will now have to analyze, prioritize and implement
them (Jung-Lang, 2017). The importance of coming up with few ideas is because of their

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easiness to respond to them as well as sift through (Antony, Setijono & Dahlgaard, 2016).
Taghizadegan (2006) maintains that a manager can come up with appropriate solution without
formal technique. Schonberger (2008) an affinity diagram offer managers with appropriate
techniques of handling large number of ideas. Managers will deal with large set of ideas such as
human resource issues, failure to have standards, unappreciation of staff, low staff morale, and
among other ideas.
Figure 2: affinity diagram
c. Impact/Effort Matrix
Rampersad and El-Homsi (2007) refers to the impact/effort matrix as a graphical
representation that depicts efforts on x-axis and impacts on y-axis. Every manager need to come
up with efforts to draft solutions that are likely to have positive impact. In addition, the four
quadrants offer an opportunity to list all activities needed by management to solve the two issues.

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For instance, as a tool, the impact/effort matrix is likely to give managers of McDonald time and
opportunity to evaluate their solutions of reducing the level of stock as well as control on the
level of food wastage. The impact to reduce on the level of stock would require that management
consider taking stock as well at changing the current method of stocktaking.
Figure 3: impact/effort matrix
The impact to reduce on the level of stock would require that management consider
taking stock as well at changing the current method of stocktaking. While it is understood that
management take a long time to take stock, this could be the reason as to why the company has
failed to minimize on wastages. For instance, management of outlet took the responsibility of
ordering stock based on their own knowledge and past data already sold to customers during the
previous day.

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2. Reducing Food Wastage Due To Food Quality
a. Brainstorming
Apart from solving the issue of reducing stock in stock in stocks, the company could also
use brainstorming to respond to issues of reducing food wastage because of food quality.
Management will provide background information about all cooked food. Some of the
background could cover how much time the company takes to hold apple pie, nuggets, and fries.
Figure 4: Brainstorming to reduce food wastage
b. Affinity Diagram

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The importance of using this technique lies in the need for team members to tap into their
creativity and intuition. For instance, the diagram below will become important in ensuring that
management responds to many ideas that are likely to come up. Consequently, management
could also respond to ideas that look seem too large to understand or solve. The technique will
ensure that that management eases management of food wastage because of quality.
Figure 5: Affinity diagram
Operation of MacDonald in Singapore has seen the company fail to use same practices
being used in the United States. After cooking the products and placing it at the holding area,
employees take time timing. However, once the food exceeds the expected time, employees
consider it a waste. Manager only comes in to calculate the amount of food that has been
disposed. Therefore, application of affinity diagram shown above will ensure that management
controls the amount of all cooked food (Drohomeretski, et al, 2014). For instance, this could
involve having enough staff, resources and tools such as timers or phone alerts at the waiting
room. Furthermore, the diagram indicates that a management could design its culture in order to

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focus on areas such as outcome orientation, attention to detail, or innovation and risk taking. This
could also involve assigning crew leaders to start following the command of a shift manager
concerning the quantity of food to cook depending on the situation existing in the store.
c. Impact/Effort Matrix
Figure 6: impact/effort matrix for reducing food wastage
While management takes a long time to take stock, this could be the reason as to why the
company has failed to minimize on wastages. Management of outlet took the responsibility of

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ordering stock based on their own knowledge and past data already sold to customers during the
previous day.

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