 |
Identifying the constraint and carrying out the Five Focusing Steps |
| Step Four |
At this point we understand our system and how it works. How can we get the maximum out of it?
Every system, by its very nature, has a
‘bottleneck’, or constraint.
Let’s imagine an organization as
a tube, with raw material going in one end, and finished products coming
out the other.
In an ideal world, that tube has the same
diameter all along it, so what goes in comes out in a perfectly smooth
flow. But in the real world, somewhere that tube gets narrower: there
is a ‘bottleneck’.
This is a part of the process that holds
production up (because it’s slower, or the machinery doesn’t work properly,
or any other reason). So no matter how much material goes in, the amount
of finished products coming out of the tube will only be what gets past
the bottleneck, or constraint.
We might wish for a perfect world with
no constraints. But there will always be one.
A constraint does not have to be a negative.
If we are able to manage our system through the constraint, we can optimize
the output of our system.
Eli Goldratt developed the model of the Five Focusing Steps for managing systems through the constraint:
Focusing Step 1: Identify the constraint of the system
Generally, we can identify a constraint in a system on the basis of the interval of variability of its processes, and by observing how they interact.
Focusing Step 2: Decide how to exploit the constraint
As the constraint is what limits the system’s Throughput, we have to make it work to the maximum.
Focusing Step 3: Subordinate everything else to the decision taken regarding the constraint
All the other components of the system must work so as to guarantee full-speed functioning of the constraint. At this stage the constraint is producing to the maximum. What can we do to further increase Throughput?
Focusing Step 4: Elevate the constraint
The only thing left to do is increase the capacity of the constraint, e.g. add a machine, or resources. If the constraint is now no longer the constraint, we go to Focusing Step 5.
Focusing Step 5: Go back to Focusing Step 1
A new constraint will take over and we
have to start the cycle all over again.
In the TOC application for production,
the plan for exploiting the constraint is known as the Drum.
Material is released according to the
pace consumed by the Drum. When to release material is determined by the
length of time needed to allow the journey from material release to the
Drum. This is called Buffer time. The control of this operation is known
as Rope.
Summary
Our organization is a system. If all the
processes making up the system are stable, then it has a constraint. If
we manage our system through the constraint, following the Five Focusing
Steps, we can maximize our Throughput. Remember, you can ignore the constraint,
but it will not ignore you.
