Nsfs 347 Work [upd] May 2026

Case 1 — Gig-platform onboarding A food-delivery platform faces high onboarding drop-off: many applicants sign up but few complete vehicle inspection and start delivering. The platform currently offers automated digital guides, a 1-hour mandatory online safety module, and optional in-person inspection centers with long wait times. Analyze root causes and redesign onboarding to increase completed onboardings by 30% within 3 months while controlling cost per onboard.

Problem 1 — Workflow latency analysis (20 pts) A distributed team performs a five-step editorial workflow (steps A→B→C→D→E). Expected processing times (minutes per item) when handled by humans are: A=12, B=8, C=20, D=10, E=5. The probability an item requires a rework loop back from D to B is 0.15; that rework requires B and C again. Items arrive in bursts — average arrival rate 6 items/hour during peak 2-hour windows. The team has one specialist per step. a) Compute the expected processing time per item including rework. (10 pts) b) Identify the bottleneck and compute its utilization at peak. (6 pts) c) Recommend two redesign choices (e.g., staffing, automation, batching) to reduce average cycle time, and estimate the expected reduction in minutes for each choice (assume linear scaling). (4 pts) nsfs 347 work

Case 2 — Knowledge worker burnout in a research group A university research lab reports rising burnout among postdocs: long hours, fragmented attention, and unclear authorship credit. The PI has limited funds for hiring. Propose a sociotechnical intervention suite that reduces burnout indicators by 25% in 6 months, preserves research output, and clarifies credit allocation. Case 1 — Gig-platform onboarding A food-delivery platform