In the stage of the product lifecycle, sales level off and competition continues to increase. Competition becomes the most intense of any phase. Promotion costs increase and price competition cuts into profits.

Draw a flowchart for a process of interest to you, such as a quick oil-change service, a factory process you might have worked in, ordering a pizza, renting a car or truck, buying products on the internet, or applying for an automobile loan. identify the points where something (people, information) waits for service or is held in work-in-process inventory, the estimated time to accomplish each activity in the process, and the total flow time. evaluate how well the process worked and what might be done to improve it.