| The Theory
of Constraints describes an alternative
type of system to a Kanban
System, or to an MRP system.
The Theory of Constraints is based on the
idea that any production system has one
or more 'bottlenecks' that limit the output.
Increasing the capacity of any work station,
other than a bottleneck, serves no purpose.
TOC was developed by Eli Goldratt
who wrote a book called 'The Goal' to illustrate
its operation. He used the analogy of a
group of schoolboys on a long and hard walk
to an overnight camp. One fat child lagged
behind and the others had to keep stopping
whilst he caught up. Eventually the leader
(the author) realized that sometimes the
fat boy had to wait in a queue when the
group had to negotiate a section that could
only be taken one at a time. It was better
to put the fat boy at the front where his
progress was never impeded. They also inspected
the fat boy's rucksack and found it overweight
and full of unnecessary items that they
either discarded or distributed to the fitter
members. (hope I haven't spoiled the book
for you)
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