Re: Pace of Learning = Slowes... LO1568

JonaLisa@aol.com
Thu, 8 Jun 1995 14:14:07 -0400

1) Nothing in Goldratt's theory suggests that "the part of the system with
the hightest delay time" is the "bottleneck" or the "constraint". The
constraint is that element of the system which prohibits the system from
improved performance relative to its goal. In physical terms, this does
not mean the longest step in a process. It would mean, for instance, that
if you were to take a snapshot of all of the demands on a system, in terms
of the load those demands places on all of the resources that make up that
system, the "bottleneck" would be that resource that met these two
conditions: in order to satisfy the demands, it needs to consume the
highest percentage of its available capacity relative to all other
resources in the system, and that percentage is at or above 100% of its
available capacity.

2) Goldratt also has not necessarily claimed that if "you get rid of the
bottleneck the system's performance increases". He has outlined a five
step process which, when followed, will assure continued improvement of
the system's performance. Briefly, they are:
1. Identify the system's constraint(s). (What, if you only had more
of it, would enable the system to get closer to its goal)
2. Decide how to exploit the system's constraint(s). (This means to
determine how you will get the most with what you've got).
3. Subordinate everything else to the above decisions. Ensure that
policies and paradigms are aligned. Following the first three steps helps
you to optimize the system as it physically exists.
4. Elevate the system's constraint(s). Only now does it make sense
to, for instance, invest in additional capacity.
5. Don't let inertia become the system's constraint. If, in the
above steps, a constraint is broken, be sure to close the loop and go back
to step 1. 

--
Lisa Scheinkopf
InSync Solutions
Jonalisa@aol.com