The evolution of the Theory of Constraints

The Theory of Constraints (TOC), a systems-management philosophy, asserts that constraints determine the performance of a system and that any system contains only a few constraints. A constraint is anything that limits a system's performance relative to its goals. To improve the strength of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inIndustrial management (Des Plaines) Vol. 36; no. 3; p. 13
Main Authors Gardiner, Stanley C, Blackstone, John H, Gardiner, Lorraine R
Format Magazine Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Norcross Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) 01.05.1994
Subjects
Customer services
Education
Implementations
Inventory
Management styles
Manufacturing
Marketing
Organizational behavior
Organizational change
Scheduling
Theory of constraints
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United States > US
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Summary:The Theory of Constraints (TOC), a systems-management philosophy, asserts that constraints determine the performance of a system and that any system contains only a few constraints. A constraint is anything that limits a system's performance relative to its goals. To improve the strength of the system one would first find the weakest link in the chain and strengthen it. TOC's 5 focusing steps guide the process of continuous improvement. These steps are: 1. Identify the constraints. 2. Decide how to exploit the contraints. 3. Subordinate all else to the decision in the 2nd step. 4. Elevate the constraints. 5. If in any previous step a constraint is broken or eliminated, go to step one. The implementation of TOC is discussed.
ISSN:0019-8471