Theory of Constraints 101: Table of Contents
A series of 5-minute posts on applying principles of flow to knowledge work
Below you can find all the posts published so far, and a quick 3-point summary of each.
101: Introduction to the Series
The basic premise of the Theory of Constraints as outlined in The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt; the definition of a bottleneck or a constraint; why the only way to improve a system is to improve the constraint
102: The Illusion of Local Optima
Why local and global optima are mutually exclusive; why a company where everyone is busy working is terribly inefficient; any improvement not at the constraint is an illusion
103: The Four Fundamental Principles of Flow
A brief history of how the fundamental principles of flow have been manifested over time; the importance of limiting work-in-progress; Goldratt’s proposal of time-based mechanisms for limiting work-in-progress
104: Balance Flow, Not Capacity
Drum-Buffer-Rope, the original application of TOC to manufacturing; why no company should take on more work than their bottleneck can process; for even one part of a system to be fully utilized, every other part must have excess capacity
105: Drum-Buffer-Rope at Microsoft
A case study of how a software engineering team at Microsoft used Drum-Buffer Rope to dramatically improve its productivity and throughput
106: The Five Focusing Steps
Brief overview of the continuous improvement method at the heart of TOC; how dynamic systems provide feedback in correctly identifying the constraint; how TOC proposes improving complex, dynamic systems
107: Identifying the Constraint
Step #1 in the Five Focusing Steps; how to find the organizational constraint in knowledge work; policies and rules as the most damaging (and easiest to change) constraints; running experiments to find constraints
108: Optimizing the Constraint
Step #2 in the Five Focusing Steps; how to optimize the organizational constraint in knowledge work; TOC as a targeting and implementation system for all other improvement methods
109: The Psychology of Subordination [members-only]
Step #3 in the Five Focusing Steps; how subordination brings the psychological and political aspects of organizations to the forefront; why our system of measurement incentivizes local, not global, productivity
110: Elevating the Constraint [members-only]
Step #4 in the Five Focusing Steps; why it’s not wise to jump directly to step #4 in applying principles of flow; practical techniques for elevating the constraint
111: Critical Chain Project Management [members-only]
Application of TOC to project management; how high-confidence time estimates lead to massive padding; why time estimates for knowledge work tend to always expand, and rarely contract
Sign up here for a free 30-day trial of the new Praxis blog, or subscribe to the newsletter to receive notifications of free articles. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or YouTube.
