A Large Consulting Firm Is Deciding on If Its Workforce

question 115

Essay

A large consulting firm is deciding on if its workforce should be expanded, maintained, or decreased. Suppose that demand is given in week long projects, and that a consultant can work on 3 projects each month (1 week off for personal leave and/or other duties such as conferences, etc.). Currently there are 25 consultants. Ten consultants are trained for LEAN and 15 for Six Sigma, with 5 of those consultants being overlaps (the consultant is trained for BOTH LEAN and Six Sigma). Assume that all consultants can do the general work. Complete the table (the forecast period is an upcoming month) and prepare a recommendation.
$$\begin{array} { | c | c | c | c | c | c | } \hline \text { Category } & \begin{array} { c } \text { Best Forecast } \\\text { (\# projects) }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Likely } \\\text { Forecast } \\\text { (\# projects) }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Worst } \\\text { Forecast } \\\text { (\# projects) }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Max Demand } \\\text { in \# of } \\\text { people }\end{array} & \begin{array} { c } \text { Number of } \\\text { Qualified } \\\text { People }\end{array} \\\hline \text { LEAN } & 42 & 24 & 12 & & \\\hline \text { Six Sigma } & 45 & 36 & 30 & & \\\hline \text { General } & 75 & 60 & 57 & & \\\hline\end{array}$$

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Definitions:

Exceptional Skills

Outstanding or superior abilities in a particular area or field, significantly surpassing the average.

Behavioral Sciences

Disciplines that explore the activities and interactions among human beings, including psychology, sociology, and anthropology.

Political Science

The study of the behavior of individuals and groups within a political environment.

Management Theory

A collection of ideas and principles that aim to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of organizational leadership and decision-making.