Talk:Theory of Constraints

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did you have software opt/toc ? i need software toc/opt. can you give that software ? (Skys_co@yahoo.com)

Contents

[edit] Recommended Book

Robert Newbold's "Project Management in the Fast Lane" is an excellent book on TOC as applied to projects. Highly recommended! 1574441957 (I am a reader, not the author).

Also, APICS.org is an active promoter and developer of TOC in practice.

Thanks for the article. Wikipedia rocks.

Craig

[edit] TOC-related software

Under TOC-related software, may I also recommend the excellent, Free, Open-Source application FreeMind. http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. It's general-purpose mind-mapping software, but very versatile and easy to use in doing those "Prerequisite Trees" and "Transition Trees" etc. Craig

[edit] Application-Specific TOC Solutions

I added the information about plant types, but the wiki formatting looks ugly. Should it be indented or possibly moved somewhere elcddddddse? Jackvinson 15:04, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Buzzwords

I added the buzzword tag to a section here, which seemed to contain extremely abstract slogans and very obvious statements. - Smerdis of Tlön 14:35, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Smerdis - The section on Thinking Processes quotes almost directly from the TOC literature, such as it is. Is your concern with the introduction to the section or with the list of specific thinking processes? I've removed the word "generic" and the second sentence, as I see that they don't help. Jackvinson 05:48, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Since it´s been more than two months since the issue was discussed and the original tagger didn´t explain his motives, I dropped the buzzword tag. --Luiz Esmiralha 201.51.228.235 09:53, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Opening

"Theory of constraints (TOC) is a body of knowledge on the effective management of (mainly business) organizations, as systems. The author is Eliyahu M. Goldratt, with many others contributing to the body of knowledge." This is very vaguely worded. Does it make sense to say that the theory is the body of knowledge? And Goldratt is the author of what, exactly? He's apparently not the author of the body of knowledge as a whole. This should be replaced with a brief statement of what sort of thing TOC is, and what Goldratt's role is in it. 70.137.182.229 19:20, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

What about something like this (but I think I am saying too much):

Theory of Constraints (TOC) is a systematic way of looking at organizations with the objective of improving the bottom line of the organization. The key concept in TOC is that, while business are frequently complicated, there is an inherent simplicity. Once that inherent simplicity is understood, the lever for effecting change becomes clear. The concept was proposed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt in the 1980's, and he continues to be active in the ongoing development and application of TOC principles.

Jackvinson

[edit] Thinking Tools

Someone commented in the entry "Do you really believe this?????" about the Levels of Buy-in. Once again, these are quoted pretty directly from the TOC community literature. However, there are no "citations" of these concepts. Do we have any? Do we have general citations on the thinking tools? Jackvinson 15:35, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] External Links

Removed most of these (copied below). Removed the spam tag.

All of these are essentially the same as the toc-goldratt website. They are all marketing efforts.

I think this whole collection should be removed. These are consultants and afficianados, and there is really nothing new in these websites. Essentially, it's all marketing (I've kept my own website out for this reason).

[edit] TOC Consultants and Aficionados


[edit] TOC-related software

Inspiration is nice software, but it isn't TOC-specific. Why not list Visio too?

Jackvinson 03:16, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for being bold. Nposs 03:27, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Flying Logic has a strong emphasis on TOC. Ironwolf (talk) 10:24, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

==Further Reading== Mayuresh I've tried to clean up the inline references as best I can, but I cannot get a feel for how the rather extensive list of books is being used to support the article's content. I'm creating a "further reading" section, and including the core Goldratt material there. I've moved the entire list here for now and will trim the article's. If someone thinks a sub-article of "supporting material" is helpful, then go for it. A directory is not needed here, unless we can footnote it to one of the many sections that are currently missing cites. Kuru talk 00:20, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Business novels

The Theory of Constraints' 5 Focusing Steps Applying the focusing steps to the simulation

Step 0. Make the Goal explicit

Put as many paper boats+hats in production, using the least amount of paper.

Step 1. Identify the Constraint

Usually, the programmer is the constraint. Work piles up in front of them, people behind them are idle a lot of the time.

Step 2. Exploit the Constraint

Get the most out of the constraint resource. For example:

Make sure the programmer is never idle by always having a small amount of work available in a buffer. Don't make the buffer too small, or you will stall the Constraint. Don't make the buffer too big, or you will waste resources in excess inventory. Someone else can handle the rejects from testing, so that the Programmer is not interrupted (but are we not also deriving the programmer of feedback about their work?) Step 3. Subordinate to the Constraint Let the resources who have excess capacity spend some of that capacity to help the Constraint. For example:

The analyst and designer can spend time making sure that the paper they give to the programmer is very neatly folded, so the programmer doesn't waste time The designer can do a bit of the folding work of the programmer, e.g. finishing the hats (only one extra manipulation for the designer), so that the programmer can concentrate on the labour-intensive boats. The tester can perform some testing upstream, to detect quality problems before they reach the Constraint

Running the simulation again after applying focusing steps. Notice how Jaana, The Tester, (with the green shirt) has moved so she can oversee the whole process.

Step 4. Elevate the Constraint

We can raise the throughput rate of the Constraint by:

Giving them training and coaching. We did this in the second round: Fred (sitting, light blue shirt) has now replaced Joerg (standing) as programmer (see picture above), but he needed some folding coaching from Joerg to get up to speed Hiring another Programmer Step 5. Don't let inertia become the Constraint After improving the performance of the Programmer, we can't let up. There's always another bottleneck! In the simulation, the constraint can shift to the Designer. So, we start again from the beginning...

Step 6. Change the System

If the previous steps don't yield any substantive improvements anymore, change the system.

[edit] Theory of Constraints

  • Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Essays on the Theory of Constraints ISBN 0-88427-159-5
  • Eliyahu M. Goldratt. What is this thing called Theory of Constraints and how should it be implemented? ISBN 0-88427-166-8
  • Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Beyond the Goal: Eliyahu Goldratt Speaks on the Theory of Constraints ISBN 1-59659-023-8
  • Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Dr Lisa Lang. Achieving a Viable Vision: The Theory of Constraints Strategic Approach to Rapid Sustainable Growth. ISBN 0-9777604-1-3

===Manufacturing=== Best Sellers

[edit] Supply chain

[edit] Strategy

  • William A. Levinson and Raymond Rerick. Lean Enterprise: A Synergistic Approach to Minimizing Waste ISBN 0-87389-532-0
  • H. William Dettmer. Strategic Navigation - A Systems Approach to Business Strategy ISBN 0-87389-603-3
  • Robert E. Spector. How Constraints Management Enhances Lean and Six Sigma Supply Chain Management Review, Jan/Feb 2006
  • Robert E. Spector. The Art of Lean Program Management Supply Chain Management Review, Sept/Oct 2006
  • Dr Lisa Lang. Achieving a Viable Vision: The Theory of Constraints Strategic Approach to Rapid Sustainable Growth. ISBN 0-9777604-1-3

[edit] Accounting and finance

  • Eric W. Noreen and Debra A. Smith and James T. MacKey. Theory of Constraints and Its Implications for Management Accounting ISBN 0-88427-116-1
  • Janice Bell and Monte Swain and Jan Bell and Shahid Ansari. The Theory of Constraints and Throughput Accounting ISBN 0-07-027589-0
  • Thomas Corbett. Throughput Accounting ISBN 0-88427-158-7
  • Dr Lisa Lang. Maximizing Profitability: The Theory of Constraints Approach to Maximizing Profits. ISBN 0-9777604-0-5

[edit] Project management

  • Lawrence P. Leach. Critical Chain Project Management ISBN 1-58053-903-3
  • Mark J. Woeppel. Projects in Less Time; A Synopsis of Critical Chain. ISBN 1-4196-2053-3
  • Robert C. Newbold. Project Management in the Fast Lane: Applying the Theory of Constraints. ISBN 1-57444-195-7

[edit] Continuous improvement and the thinking processes

  • H. William Dettmer. Goldratt's Theory of Constraints - A Systems Approach to Continuous Improvement ISBN 0-87389-370-0
  • H. William Dettmer. Breaking the Constraints to World-Class Performance ISBN 0-87389-437-5
  • James F. Cox II and Michael S. Spencer The Constraints Management Handbook ISBN 1-57444-060-8
  • Eli Schragenheim. Management Dilemmas: The Theory of Constraints Approach to Problem Identification and Solutions. ISBN 1-57444-222-8
  • Lisa J. Scheinkopf. Thinking For a Change: Putting the TOC Thinking Processes to Use. ISBN 1-57444-101-9
  • Dr Lisa Lang. Achieving a Viable Vision: The Theory of Constraints Strategic Approach to Rapid Sustainable Growth. ISBN 0-9777604-1-3

[edit] Sales and marketing

  • William A. Woehr and Dietrich Legat. Unblock the power of your salesforce!. ISBN 3-7083-0082-3
  • Richard Klapholz and Alex Klarman. The Cash Machine: Using Theory of Constraints for Sales Management. ISBN 0-88427-177-3
  • Dr Lisa Lang. Achieving a Viable Vision: The Theory of Constraints Strategic Approach to Rapid Sustainable Growth. ISBN 0-9777604-1-3
  • Gerald I. Kendall. Viable Vision: Transforming Total Sales into Net Profit. ISBN 1-932159-38-X
  • Justin Roff-Marsh. Reengineering the Sales Process. ISBN 978-0646478265

[edit] Healthcare

  • Julie Wright and Russ King. We All Fall Down: Goldratt's Theory of Constraints for Healthcare System . ISBN 0-88427-181-1

[edit] Education

  • Khaw Choon Ean. Thinking Smart: Applying the Theory of Constraints in Development Thinking Skills. ISBN 967-978-918-7

[edit] Software engineering

  • David J. Anderson. Agile Management for Software Engineering: Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results. ISBN 0-13-142460-2

[edit] Personal leadership application

  • Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey with Thayer Bennett. Foreword by H. William Dettmer. Purple Curve Effect: SKIs Throughput on Command. ISBN: