Theory of Constraints Handbook - James Cox Iii [320]
This opportunity not only provided a way to test whether a holistic TOC constraint analysis and strategy formulation workshop with all the stakeholders was the best possible kickoff within the public sector for a holistic TOC implementation, but also to validate whether (even for NFP organizations and their stakeholders) that TOC could be used to help achieve more with the same or less resources in less time. This could be done by helping stakeholders identify and challenge assumptions that are potentially limiting their ability to see and/or unlock inherent potential within themselves, their organizations or even their cities. Such limiting assumptions especially if held by key stakeholders in any system, can jeopardize the ability of that system to achieve the desired or required growth and stability.
Four African cities were selected for a TOC-based capacity building process starting with a Constraint Analysis Strategy Workshop focused on solid waste management:
1. City A—population of over 3 million people
2. City B—population of over ½ million people
3. City C—population of over 2 ½ million people
4. City D—population of over 2 ½ million people
Designing the Five-Day TOC Workshop and Implementation Process
Complicating Factors within the Public Sector
Prior to the start of this initiative, the TOC expert team members were warned that the public sector is much more “complicated” than private sector organizations. Those knowledgeable in this arena warned that normally there are no clear goals and the system is full of bureaucrats which Dr. Russell Ackoff (2006) defines as someone with the power to say “No” but not the power to say “Yes”. Also, that frequently there is a high level of distrust among the groups, higher resistance to change due to awareness that the wrong policies or decisions could have catastrophic consequences, many and sometimes conflicting objectives (which makes “focusing” difficult), and little tolerance for “business principles and best-practices,” especially for a business method called Theory of Constraints.
The team was also informed that although there is excellent work being done by the many international donor and capacity-building organizations within developing countries, many of these initiatives struggle to resolve the underlying conflicts and to really secure the full consensus, contribution, and commitment from all stakeholders to ensure that initiatives do deliver the desired results in a sustainable way.
The next step in the design process was to use the TOC Change Management Questions to provide the agenda for the five days and to design a process around these five questions (stated below) to achieve the desired outcomes of the workshop in a way that would overcome both generic and specific obstacles in achieving consensus on where to focus scarce resources.
Simplified TOC Analysis and Implementation Roadmap
The proposal to InWEnt by the TOC Expert process design team was that the best possible start (Barnard, 2008) would be a 5-Day Constraint Analysis Strategy Workshop. The process would follow a simplified and improved version of the traditional TOC Analysis Roadmap (which only covered What to Change, to What to Change, and How to Cause the Change) and which should include the following steps:
Step 0: Introduction to TOC’s Systems Approach, Processes, and Paradigms
Step 1: Consensus on Why Change?
Step 2: Consensus on What to Change?
Step 3: Consensus on to What to Change?
Step 4: Consensus on How to Cause the Change?
Step 5: Consensus on How to Measure the Change and Achieve Ongoing Improvement?
This roadmap, also serves as an agenda for the five days.
Day