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Project Summary:
An in depth comparison of the operations of McDonald's vs Burger King

Goal:
To understand the differences in the production process between two companies that have seemingly similar products, but largely different histroical performance. What does McDonald's do better, how do they pay such attention to minute details, and what can Burger King change moving into the future?

Approach:
A Burger King and McDonald's branch in close proximity of each other were studied, with data from the same time period. Detailed process maps, production cycle times at each step, throughput times, and performance during busy periods were compared and analyzed. The analysis went forward to understand why the differences exist in the first place. Financial reports of both the branches from the same period were used as a benchmark to understand performance.

• All the data, detailed accounts of managers, workers and stakeholders were provided by Harvard Business School cases.

Outcome:
The analysis provided an in depth understanding of how small differences in production process steps and decisions taken by upper management can impact the performance of a business.