Theory of Constraints Handbook - James Cox Iii [440]
Earlier reviews of the literature (Rahman, 1998; Mabin and Balderstone, 2003) preceded many of the developments documented here, which have evolved since 2000. This overview has drawn primarily on the work of Kim et al. (2008) to present a review of the TP literature, as published in refereed journals and conference proceedings over a 16-year period from 1994 to late 2009, and to portray the development of TP concepts and tools since first applied in the POM (production/operations management) and OR/MS domains. The review of Kim et al. (2008) revealed specific publication and research gaps, and some common future research topics and approaches have also been identified. These will be discussed in the final section.
The review of TP tools-in-use has found that a combination of tools is often applied pragmatically according to the problem situation. Indeed, the overview has positioned the many TOC tools in multi-methodological use and in relation to each other, as well as capturing developments in multi-methodological usage across several domains. Consequently, a later section will examine the design-for-purpose and philosophical basis of the TP tools, as a means of understanding whether use of a TP tool for an alternative purpose is appropriate, and whether and how the TP tools in combination or as a suite comprise a comprehensive multi-methodological set. As a corollary, we will develop alternative perspectives on the nature of TOC methods and the TOC TP tools, their philosophical basis, and their use in problem-solving activities, that will facilitate comparison with other problem structuring and problem-solving methodologies and provide insight about the communality and complementarity of such approaches and methodologies.
It is apparent that TP have become a problem-solving method of choice for many, on their own, and sometimes in combination with other methods. Before we investigate TOC’s philosophical roots, we will briefly discuss other managerial problem-solving methods in order to make a comparison.
The Nature of Other Approaches to Problem-Solving and Decision Making
The purpose of this section is to establish what other methods are being used for problem solving, in what ways they are being used, and in what ways they may be limited, thus providing a partial justification for TOC TP as an alternative or complementary approach.
As a facilitating framework for this discussion, we draw on the work of Mingers and Brocklesby (M-B) (1997) to clarify the role, function, and purpose of different problem-solving methods or tools, and for relating those methods or tools to problem content and problem-solving activity. In doing so, we seek to provide a basis for some selective comparison of traditional methods and TOC methodology.
The Relationship of Problem-Solving Methods to Problem-Solving Activity
M-B developed a two-dimensional mapping grid (see Table 23-3) with the purpose of alerting practitioners to the appropriateness of using different methodologies in different contexts, and to the possible use of multi-methodology. One dimension relates to the problem domain, specifically the nature of the world—social, personal, or material—being investigated, and a second relates to aspects of methodology, particularly the conceptually distinct but related phases of “intervention.”
These phases are described within the M-B framework, for example, as building an appreciation of the social, personal, or material world that provides a necessary base for analysis of that world and relationships between key entities, before developing and assessing alternative futures and options to bring them about, and then finally being able to choose and implement alternative courses of action that bring about the desired future.
Despite Mingers’ (2003, 560) later reservations about the limitations of the two-dimensional M-B framework in seeking