Laundry Day: The surprising complexity of simple workflows
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The document analyzes the complexities of laundry workflows, comparing various stages such as washing, drying, and folding. It presents metrics on total cycle costs, cycle times, operator engagement, and optimization strategies with different washing and drying setups. Key takeaways emphasize understanding metrics, the importance of simplicity, and the value of recognizing when to stop optimizing.
Laundry Day: The surprising complexity of simple workflows
- 1. Laundry Day The surprising complexity of simple workflows
- 3. Sort Input: 4 loads Capacity: 4 loads Output: 4 loads Operator Time: 15 min Cycle time: 15 min Cost: $0.00 Wash Input: 1 load Capacity: 1 load Output: 1 load Operator Time: 0 min Cycle time: 45 min Cost: $1.00 Dry Input: 1 load Capacity: 1 load Output: 1 load Operator time: 0 min Cycle time: 45 minutes Cost: $1.00 Fold Input: 2 load Capacity: 2 loads Output: 2 loads Operator time: 30 min Cycle time: 30 minutes Cost: $0 Capacity Planned Stages
- 4. One Load of laundry Total cycle cost: $2.00 Total cycle time: 135 min Operator engagement: 45 min Important Metrics
- 6. Family Means Scaling Throughput #1 #2 #3 #4
- 7. One Load of laundry Total cycle cost: $2.00 Total cycle time: 135 min Operator engagement : 45 min Metrics don’t scale the same way Four Loads of laundry Total cycle cost: $8.00 Total cycle time: 270 min Operator engagement: 135 min Difference Total cycle cost: 4x Total cycle time: 2x Operator engagement: 3x
- 8. Fully Optimizing Left #1 & 2 #3 & 4 WAIT BETWEEN DRY AND FOLD MEANS WRINKLES
- 9. Fully Optimizing Right #1 & 2 #3 & 4
- 10. Comparison Optimize Left Total cycle cost: $8.00 Total cycle time: 165 min Operator engagement: 75 min Capex: 3w, 3d Unoptimized Total cycle cost: $8.00 Total cycle time: 270 min Operator engagement: 135 min Capex: n/a Optimize Right Total cycle cost: $8.00 Total cycle time: 180 min Operator engagement: 75 min Capex: 1w, 1d
- 11. New Hotness Dryer Input: 2 loads Capacity: 2 loads Output: 2 loads Operator time: 0 min Cycle time: 30 minutes Cost: $1.25 A Challenger Appears Old & Busted Dryer Input: 1 load Capacity: 1 load Output: 1 load Operator time: 0 min Cycle time: 45 minutes Cost: $1.00
- 12. New: One Load of laundry Total cycle cost: $2.25 Total cycle time: 120 min Operator engagement: 45 min Lower Cycle Time, Higher Costs Old: One Load of laundry Total cycle cost: $2.00 Total cycle time: 135 min Operator engagement: 45 min
- 13. Four Loads: Optimizing The Wrong Thing #1 #2 #3 #4
- 14. Optimizing outside the bottleneck Unoptimized: New Dryer Total cycle cost: $9.00 Total cycle time: 255 min Operator engagement: 135 min Unoptimized: Old Dryer Total cycle cost: $8.00 Total cycle time: 270 min Operator engagement: 135 min
- 15. #1 & 2 Let’s move some wait states! #3 & 4
- 16. Patience for great benefit Wait Cycles Total cycle cost: $6.50 Total cycle time: 240 Operator engagement: 75 min Unoptimized Total cycle cost: $9.00 Total cycle time: 255 min Operator engagement: 135 min
- 17. This isn’t even my final form #1 & 2 #3 & 4
- 18. Over-Optimizing Single-Washer Optimized Total cycle cost: $6.50 Total cycle time: 240 Operator engagement: 75 min Capex: n/a Unoptimized Total cycle cost: $8.00 Total cycle time: 270 min Operator engagement: 135 min Capex: n/a Two Washer Optimized Total cycle cost: $6.50 Total cycle time: 165 min Operator engagement: 75 min Capex: 1w
- 19. #1 & 2 #3 & 4 One is Better than Two
- 20. Behold True Power Single Washer Optimized Total cycle cost: $4.50 Total cycle time: 135 Operator engagement: 75 min Capex: 1 double-capacity washer Two Washer Optimized Total cycle cost: $6.50 Total cycle time: 165 min Operator engagement: 75 min Capex: 1 washer
- 21. What We’ve Learned • Even very simple pipelines hide surprising complexity • Understand what metric you’re optimizing & why • Know when to quit • Value simplicity • Factor in all relevant costs
- 22. About Me Name: Charles Johnson Twitter: @chipadeedoodah Email: chip@chipadeedoodah.com Artist: Wren Tolo Font: 3Dumb by Tension Type