Desktop Client: How do I tell if a particular report statistic is at the best value?

This article applies to iGrafx Process and iGrafx Process for Six Sigma Client tools

There is not some specific number that is good or bad for a given statistic in the simulation report.

Usually with stat's like resource utilization, cycle time, cost, etc. the issue isn't what the absolute number is, but what direction you can move it. Usually you want higher utilization, and lower cycle times and costs. For example, considering resource utilization, if your resources are 100% utilized in an assembly line (excluding the scheduled breaks they get, etc.) then that's a good thing; you're not paying for people to be idle and doing 'nothing'. However, in reality, utilizing people a very high percentage of the time (particularly in a non-manufacturing environment), may indicate that your people are in danger of being overworked.

The number that is reasonable depends upon your process, and how accurately you've modeled the many things a particular resources does. However, at least in theory, higher resource utilization percentages are better. One of the best ways to approach what statistics to use is to think of what key objectives you're trying to accomplish. What are the key stat's you're measuring, and how much do you want to improve things? While it's definitely a good idea to understand what each and every stat means, as it helps give you the whole picture, remember to focus on some of the key stat's that you're looking to improve.

If you need more information about how the statistic you're looking at (e.g. Resource Utilization % or Avg OOS) is measuring data, then please See the iGrafx Help system (Help menu > iGrafx Help). Then use the Search tab to search for the particular statistic (or class of statistics, such as Resource tab stat's) that you're interested in.