| Course | MSHR 6610 Aligning Human Resources with Business Operations |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 2 |
| Paper type | Workflow map |
| Length | About 830 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | MS in Human Resource Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MSHR 6610 Week 2
One Service-Move Request Across Four Desks: A Workflow Map of a Utility Contact Center That Keeps Waiting Time Apart From Working Time and Marks Which Steps Wait on People and Which on Systems
Student Name
Walden University
MSHR 6610: Aligning Human Resources with Business Operations
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
One Service-Move Request Across Four Desks: A Workflow Map of a Utility Contact Center That Keeps Waiting Time Apart From Working Time and Marks Which Steps Wait on People and Which on Systems
Why Map One Request
Before anyone argues about how many agents Northfork Power & Light's contact center needs, it helps to see what the agents actually do with a customer's request. This map follows one of the most common requests, a customer moving to a new address who wants service stopped at the old one and started at the new one, from the first call to the confirmed meter order. Rummler and Brache (2013) argued that the biggest performance problems in organizations often sit in the "white space" between departments, where work is handed off; a service move crosses four desks and a computer system, so it is a good place to look.
The Map
Table 1
Service-Move Request, Step by Step, With Touch Time and Wait Time
| Step | Lane | Action | Touch time | Wait before the next step | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caller | Calls the customer line and selects "start, stop or move service" | 1 minute in menu | 2 minutes in queue (daytime), 6 minutes (evening) | |
| 2 | Front-line agent | Verifies identity, captures both addresses and move dates | 5 minutes | None | |
| 3 | Front-line agent | Finds an unpaid balance at the old address and transfers the call | 1 minute | 4 minutes for a billing-certified agent | |
| 4 | Billing-certified agent | Explains the balance, sets a payment arrangement and approves the move | 7 minutes | None | |
| 5 | Customer information system | Creates stop and start orders | Automatic | Overnight batch, about 14 hours | |
| 6 | Field order desk | Reviews the start order; sees a meter access note and sends it back | 3 minutes | 1 day in the field desk's queue | |
| 7 | Front-line agent | Calls the customer back for gate code; updates the order | 4 minutes | Overnight batch again | |
| 8 | Field order desk | Confirms the meter order | 2 minutes | None | |
Composite utility. Times are illustrative averages for a request with a balance and an access note, about one in five moves.
Working Time and Waiting Time
The request takes about 23 minutes of people's working time in total: 16 minutes on the first call, 4 on the callback and 5 at the field order desk. It takes about two and a half days to complete. Almost all of that is waiting: in the phone queue, for a billing-certified agent, for two overnight system batches and for a day in the field order desk's queue.
Two kinds of waits appear. Some wait on people: the caller waits in the queue for any agent, then again for a billing-certified one, and the start order waits a day for someone at the field desk to review it. Others wait on systems: the customer information system processes orders only in an overnight batch, twice.
The Rework Loop
The most expensive part of the request is the loop at steps 6 and 7. The field order desk sends the order back because it lacks the gate code for a meter behind a locked fence. The front-line agent did not ask for it, because the script does not prompt for access details. The callback costs four minutes of agent time, a second overnight batch and a day of delay, and the customer may not answer, in which case the loop repeats.
What the Map Suggests for Staffing
Three findings bear on the staffing questions the course will take up. First, evening callers wait three times as long as daytime callers for the first agent, which points to evening coverage rather than total headcount. Second, every move with a balance waits for a billing-certified agent, so the number of certified agents, not the total number of agents, limits how fast these calls are resolved. Third, the rework loop is a process problem, not a staffing problem: adding a gate-code question to the script would remove most callbacks without hiring anyone. Gans et al. (2003) note that call center performance depends on routing and skills as well as headcount, which is what this map shows on a small scale.
A Note on Who Owns Each Wait
No one at the center owns the total time a service move takes. Each desk measures its own work: the contact center counts handle time and the field desk counts orders processed. The two and a half days a customer experiences belong to nobody. Assigning one person to report end-to-end completion time for service moves would make the waits visible to someone who could act on them.
Limits
The map follows the harder version of a service move, with a balance and an access note. Simpler moves take one call and no transfers. The times are illustrative averages, and a real map would draw them from call recordings and system logs. Bitner et al. (2008) recommend redrawing process maps after changes are made; this one should be redrawn after the script change.
References
Bitner, M. J., Ostrom, A. L., & Morgan, F. N. (2008). Service blueprinting: A practical technique for service innovation. California Management Review, 50(3), 66-94. https://doi.org/10.2307/41166446
Gans, N., Koole, G., & Mandelbaum, A. (2003). Telephone call centers: Tutorial, review, and research prospects. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 5(2), 79-141. https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.5.2.79.16071
Rummler, G. A., & Brache, A. P. (2013). Improving performance: How to manage the white space on the organization chart (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
What the MSHR 6610 Week 2 instructions ask for
Week 2 asks you to map one piece of work as it moves through your organization. Choose a single, common request and follow it from start to finish across every desk and system it touches. Note at every step the person responsible, the minutes of work and the time the request sits before anyone touches it again. Keep working time and waiting time separate, and note which waits depend on people and which on systems. Mark any rework loops and their causes. Close by explaining what the map suggests for staffing and what it suggests can be fixed without adding people, so the later staffing work starts from the right problem rather than from a general sense of being busy.
Inside the MSHR 6610 Week 2 example
The map opens by explaining why one request is traced, citing Rummler and Brache. A table follows eight steps across five lanes with touch time and wait time. A section totals about 23 minutes of work against two and a half days elapsed and separates waits on people from waits on systems. A section describes the rework loop caused by a missing gate code. A section draws three implications: evening queue waits point to evening coverage, the certified-agent wait points to certification capacity and the loop is a script fix, citing Gans and colleagues. Short sections assign end-to-end ownership and note limits, citing Bitner and colleagues.
Where the marks sit in the MSHR 6610 Week 2 rubric
Workflow maps earn credit when they separate work from waiting and staffing problems from process problems. Following one request across every handoff is weighted heavily. Recording touch time and wait time separately shows analytical care. Distinguishing waits on people from waits on systems points to different remedies and demonstrates judgment. Identifying rework loops and their causes shows attention to hidden cost. Drawing implications that include fixes requiring no new staff shows that the analysis is honest about what HR can and cannot solve. Maps that describe a process at a high level, mix working and waiting time or conclude that more staff is the only answer tend to receive lower marks.
MSHR 6610 Week 2 help from the desk
Pick a request customers make often and ask a front-line employee to walk you through it, then follow it into the systems and desks behind them. Time each step as best you can and note how long the request sits before anyone picks it up. Add up the working time and the waiting time separately; the difference is usually striking. Look for any point where work is sent back for missing information. Students often draw the ideal process from a procedure manual rather than what actually happens. Another common gap is assuming every delay calls for more staff. Ask which waits a script change or system setting could remove. If you need help structuring swimlanes, our writers can help.
Get a MSHR 6610 Week 2 example written to your instructions
Attach the workflow map assignment, the grading rubric and the process your section names; where none is named, a service request at a made-up utility is mapped instead. Diagram and commentary arrive in 24 to 48 hours, free for a first request. The swimlanes can follow any template your instructor posts.
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MSHR 6610 Week 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MSHR 6610 Week 2 sample paper?
The complete workflow map appears below, free to read.
Which request does the MSHR 6610 Week 2 map follow?
A customer's service move at a composite electric utility, with a balance and a meter access note.
How long does the request take?
About 23 minutes of work spread over two and a half days, mostly waiting.
What causes the rework loop?
The script does not prompt for a gate code, so the field desk sends the order back.
What does the map suggest for staffing?
Evening coverage and certification capacity matter, while the rework loop needs a script change, not people.