Category: SM5: Theory of Constraints (TOC)

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) is an important optimising technique that focuses on improving the throughput of work. This is at the (usually) single bottleneck or constraint in the workflow.
There is usually very few, and often just one, thing that causes a logjam in your business.
This is true of many types of business; not just manufacturers of products.
TOC needs to become an ingrained habit. So that you are always looking for the opportunities to dramatically improve your businesses throughput.

Theory of Constraints (TOC) can be applied to all business types. Retail, manufacturing, service.

Combine TOC with the 80/20 Principle and watch your business grow.

SM5.3 TOC to Optimise Your Sales Funnel

Rapid Optimisation of Your Sales Funnel to Improve Profit The Sales Funnel is a well-known method of describing the several layers that a possible customer needs to pass through en route to becoming a customer. Each layer contributes more information about your business to the potential customer to encourage them to purchase. The Theory of […]

SM5.1 When a Bottleneck is Good – Theory of Constraints (TOC)

Believe it or not, it is often a very good thing to find that you have some Bottleneck / Constraint in your production system. A body of knowledge about how to take best advantage of bottlenecks has evolved into what is now known as the Theory of Constraints (TOC). It is said that Jeff Bezos, […]

SM5.5 Demand Driven Materials Requirements Planning (DDMRP)

The previous article, SM5.4 TOC Drum, Buffer, Rope Optimisation Techniques, introduced the concept of Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) to demonstrate how to efficiently run a workflow. If you have become an aficionado of TOC and want to know more about correctly evolving a DBR system, we have links to resources here that will help.

SM5.4 TOC Drum, Buffer, Rope Optimisation Techniques

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) demonstrates the importance of finding and managing the constraint in your business.

This article covers three of the major techniques to optimise any production system around its constraint.

SM5.2 Benefit from Theory of Constraints in Retail

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) argues that good growth can be achieved by focusing on the one or two limiting factors or “Constraints” in a production system. This article applies TOC to the Wholesale/Retail sector.

SM5.0 Theory of Constraints (TOC) and your Bottlenecks

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) has probably had more impact on our prizewinning business than any other management gem! We first heard of it when reading that Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon, required all his managers to read the book that introduced ToC – The Goal. Bezos has done OK so must be something in […]