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Tools
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Tools
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| In his constant search
for Quality, Deming created a complex and rigorous theory.
Understanding this theory requires considerable determination and intellectual commitment on our part. In order for this extraordinary theory to yield the benefits we hope for, we need effective tools that can interpret and translate this complexity into something we can apply on a practical level. The Theory of Constraints offers these tools. TOC enables us to interpret situations by analyzing the cause-effect relationships that make up our reality. This analysis is made possible by means of logical tools called the Thinking Processes (TP). The Thinking Processes help us overcome difficult obstacles in the process of change involved in all continuous improvement. When we use the tools we are able to answer logically and systematically the three questions at the heart of any process of change. What to change? What to change to? How to make the change possible? The Thinking Processes are based on a logic
of necessity and sufficiency. In many cases this logic allows us to highlight
the kind of cause-effect relationship governing the situations we
are examining.
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In this sense, the TOC tools are in line with Deming’s approach and constitute a valid means of bringing about the implementations of Deming’s ideas. If we think of our efforts to achieve continuous
improvement in terms of a journey, then Deming's theory is the map and
the TOC tools are the sextant guiding us towards our goal.
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The Thinking Processes
The Thinking Processes (TP) tools of Goldratt’s
Theory of Constraints have been designed with the goal of making people
learn better and faster.
The tools translate people’s intuition
into workable knowledge while strengthening the knowledge they already
have. Moreover, the TP tools are a very powerful aid in increasing our
understanding of our system.
When we use these tools we are able to reveal the cause-effect connections that exist in our reality, but which we usually do not see.
The TP tools can be the key to managing the ever-increasing complexity of our environment, be it work or otherwise. More than anything else, we feel that the Tools can assist in acquiring the Profound Knowledge and supporting that pattern of continuous learning so advocated by Dr. Deming as the only way out of a crisis.
