Theory of Constraints Handbook
Authors: Cox III, James; Schleier, John
ISBN-13: 978-0-07-166554-4
ISBN-10: 0071665544
©2010 | 1st Edition | 1216 pages , Hardcover
Pub Date: July 2010
Price: US$ 99.95
The definitive guide to the theory of constraints
In this authoritative volume, the world’s top Theory of Constraints (TOC) experts reveal how to implement the ground-breaking management and improvement methodology developed by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Theory of Constraints Handbook offers an in-depth examination of this revolutionary concept of bringing about global organization performance improvement by focusing on a few leverage points of the system. Clear explanations supplemented by examples and case studies define how the theory works, why it works, what issues are resolved, and what benefits accrue, and demonstrate how TOC can be applied to different industries and situations.
Theory of Constraints Handbook covers:
- Critical Chain Project Management for realizing major improvements in delivering projects on time, to specification, and within budget
- Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR), Buffer Management, and distribution for maximizing throughput and minimizing flow time
- Performance measures for applying Throughput Accounting to improve organizational performance
- Strategy, marketing, and sales techniques designed to increase sales closing rates and Throughput
- Thinking Processes for simple and complex environments
- TOC methods to ensure that services actions support escalating demand for services while retaining financial viability
- Integrating the TOC Thinking Processes, the Strategy and Tactic Tree, TOC measurements, the Five Focusing Steps of TOC, and Six Sigma as a system of tools for sustainable improvement
Review
1. Reviewed in the November 2010 issue of SciTech Book News
“This handbook contains 38 chapters that detail how to implement the management and improvement methodology called Theory of Constraints. Along with the developer of the theory, Eliyahu M. Goldratt, and his associates, a group of practitioners and management and business academics draw from their experience and the research literature to explain what it is, how and why it works, what issues are resolved, what benefits occur, and how it can be applied to different industries and situations, including job shops, assembly plants, supply chains, projects, education, prisons, services, health care, nonprofit organizations, and complex environments. Cox (business, U. of Georgia) and Schleier, who served on the faculty of business administration at the U. of Georgia, both hold certifications from the Theory of Constraints International Certification Organization. (Annotation ©2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)”
About the Authors
James F. Cox III, Ph.D. (Athens, GA), CFPIM, CIRM, holds TOCICO certifications in Production and Supply Chain, Performance Measurement, Critical Chain, Strategy and Tactics, and Thinking Processes. He is a JONAH’s JONAH, Professor Emeritus, and was the Robert O. Arnold Professor of Business in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Management from Clemson University. Prior to his tenure at UGA, he held the E. L. Lowder Professorship in the school of business at Auburn University. He held positions in construction engineering, industrial engineering, and production planning and control. In addition to teaching Jonah workshops to the Air Force in support of its Lean Logistics efforts, he has conducted numerous academic and practitioner Theory of Constraints workshops and programs on performance measurement, production, supply chains, management skills, project management, and the thinking processes.
Dr. Cox’s research has centered on the Theory of Constraints for over twenty-five years. He has written three books on TOC— Operation Management: A Focus on Excellence (with Blackstone and Schleier), Reengineering Performance Measures (with Lockamy) and the Constraints Management Handbook (with Spencer), in addition to co-authoring an academic text for small businesses and numerous research monographs. With over 90 articles, his publications appear in Decision Sciences, Production and Operations Management Journal, International Journal of Production Research, Academy of Management Journal and Review, MIS Quarterly, Industrial Engineering, and many others. He is the coeditor of the APICS Dictionary, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th editions and an invited contributor on Constraints Management to the Production and Inventory Management Handbook.
John Schleier (Canon, GA) was President and Chief Operating Officer of the Mortgage Services Division of Alltel, Inc., Executive Vice President of Computer Power, Inc., and Director of Office Systems and Data Delivery for IBM, where he directed major software development projects, Sales Administration and Financial functions. He was also Director of Information Systems for IBM’s General Systems Division where he provided oversight for Development Engineering, Manufacturing and Headquarters systems. He served on the faculty of The University of Georgia College of Business Administration as IBM Executive in Residence and as Executive Professor of Management, serving on both the MIS and Production Operations Management faculties. John was a regular lecturer on Strategic Planning at IBM Executive Briefing Centers over a period of fifteen years, speaking to CEO’s and other top executives of major corporations worldwide. He frequently took consulting assignments dealing with complex project management issues around the world. Mr. Schleier holds TOCICO certification in all disciplines. He co-authored Managing Operations, A Focus on Excellence, a college text emphasizing TOC concepts (North River Press, 2003).
Table of Contents
I: What is TOC?
Founder Perspective
Academic Perspective
II: Critical Chain Project Management
Problems of CPM
Critical Chain Tutorial/Value Earned Problems
A System for Managing Multi-Project Execution
The Meta Process: How to Create and Evaluate Effective Implementation Processes Lean Critical Chain
III: DBR, Buffer Management, and Distribution
Traditional P&C Systems
VATI, DBR, and Buffer Management
From DBR to S-DBR
SDBR in Make-to-Available
Supply Chain
Integrated SC
IV: Performance Measures
Problems of Traditional Measures in Finance and Accounting
Resolving Measurement / Performance Dilemmas
Continuous Improvement and Auditing
Implementing the Theory of Constraints
V: Strategy, Marketing, and Sales
Problems of Traditional Strategy/Marketing/Sales
Theory of Constraints Strategy
Strategy
The Layers of Resistance – The Buy-in Process According to TOC
The Sales Process
Mafia Offers/Pricing/Cash to Cash Cycle
VI: Thinking Processes
Problems with Traditional Problem Solving
Managing Day-to-Day Operations
Thinking Processes Including S&T Trees
TOC for Education
TOC in Prisons
TOC for Personal Productivity
VII: TOC in Services
Problems of Traditional Services
TOC in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
TOC in Customer Support Services
TOC in the Medical Practice
TOC in Large Scale Health Care Systems
VIII: TOC in Complex Environments
Applications of the S&T Trees in Organizations
Complex Environments
TOC/Lean/Six Sigma Integration
IX: Summary
