How to overcome constraints: Part 1

Monday, 3 August 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

asasfasf

By Gordon Lester Aponso

No matter what you do, there is often scope for improving overall performance or finding ways of elevating to higher steps. A great way of doing this is to identify and eliminate constraints or popularly known as ‘bottlenecks’, or things which prevent you from advancing. Therefore it is necessary to identify these bottlenecks.

One approach is to use the Theory of Constraints (TOC). This helps you identify the most important bottleneck in your processes and systems, so that you can deal with it and improve performance.

In this article, I wish to explore the basics of Theory of Constraints, and we’ll look at how you can apply it to your own situation.

Understanding the theory

You’ve likely heard the verse, ‘A chain is only as strong as its weakest link’, and this is what the Theory of Constraints explores. It was created by Dr. Eli Goldratt and was published in his 1984 book ‘The Goal’.

Organisational performance is dictated by constraints. These constraints create bottlenecks and they prevent the organisation from achieving its full potential. Constraints can involve people, supplies, information, equipment, finance, technology or even policies; and they can be internal or external to an organisation.

The theory says that every system, no matter how well it performs, has at least one constraint that limits its performance – this is the system’s ‘weakest link’. The theory also says that a system can have only one constraint at a time, and that other areas of weakness are ‘non-constraints’ until they become the weakest link.

You use the theory by identifying your constraint, and by changing the way that you work, so that you can overcome it.

The theory was originally used successfully in manufacturing but you can use it in a variety of situations. It’s most useful with important or frequently-used processes within your organisation.

Dr. Goldratt originally identified a five-step process for applying the theory, as follows:

Identify the constraint.

Exploit the constraint.

Subordinate everything else to the constraint.

Elevate the constraint.

Go back to step 1.

To be continued in the next issue