Solution secret No 1: Control your workflow!

Key “Theory of Constraints” concepts:

Maximising Throughput

Elevate the constraint

Dangers of expediting and reprioritising

STOP EXPEDITING! I hear you asking “how can I possibly stop expediting or re-prioritising. I do it every day. How else would I get to my to-do list?”

Most of us will have been on time-management courses where we learn the importance of prioritisation, to-do lists and being extremely organised.  Reading “The Goal” it becomes abundantly clear that there are limitations to doing this.  Think of your workday as a process with tasks coming in, you dealing with them, and providing the service to the customer.  If you use the Theory of Constraints, then terms such as bottlenecks and Herbies are great ways to understand what is really going on.

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Chapter 1

Introduction: “The Goal”

“I get the gut hunch that none of us here has anything more than a witch doctor’s understanding of the medicine we’re practising”.

Goldratt, E. & Cox, J., (1993) The Goal (2^nd Ed.), (Aldershot, Gower), p35

What is the goal of a company? Many suggestions have been put forward, including maximising profit, sales and/or market share. Particular industries may favour one over another, each “goal” requiring particular metrics to monitor progress.  And because these measurements give a degree of certainty, many managers assume that they must be addressing the issues.

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Acknowledgments

I wish to thank Phil Bowers, University of Edinburgh, in both his capacity as the lecturer who introduced me to the “Theory of Constraints” and as the MBA dissertation adviser for his guidance and help through my own “bottlenecks”. The resulting dissertation was top in class. This book draws on that research, together with more recent experiences, and Phil’s kind review of the near final draft of this version.

I also acknowledge those at the financial services company – referred to as Warrender Financial – that provided the access and support in the original endeavour. And those in other service environments that have helped cement the belief that even at the basic conceptual level, the Theory of Constraints and the bottleneck metaphor really do add value.

I also wish to thank my parents for their support, interest and understanding. And to those friends and acquaintances that follow the same path of curiosity, passion, and willingness to challenge limiting beliefs! Keep stepping up!

“It’s amazing how long it takes to complete something you’re not working on.” R.D. Clyde

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10 profitable eways to make the “Theory of Constraints” work in Services

About three years ago I published this short, provocative book on how to use the “Theory of Constraints” in service environments. Over the coming months, I’ll be releasing most of the content here. It was very much a labour of love, probably involving over 1000 hours of research and writing to get it distilled to this. Feedback was mostly good, though as ever, one or two felt challenged by the style and content. Can’t please everyone, all of the time.

 “I heartily recommend it, to novice and experienced ToC users alike”
Vicky Mabin PhD FORS, Co-Author of “The World of the Theory of Constraints” and Associate Professor at Victoria Management School, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

“I really enjoyed reading this…It conveys your very fine mind, providing practical solutions from your own experience in this field”.
Phil Bowers, Former MBA Director, Edinburgh University Management School, University of Edinburgh, Scotland

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