Theory of Constraints Handbook - James Cox Iii [495]
Last comment—I hope that this chapter has given you enough knowledge for starting your personal journey with the TOC TP. By now, you may appreciate that I have covered only a part of the vast knowledge that is there on this subject. The Cloud deserves a book dedicated to it, which I intend to write in the near future.
References
Goldratt, E. M. 1990. What Is This Thing Called Theory of Constraints and How Should It Be Implemented? Croton-on-Hudson, NY: North River Press.
Goldratt, E. M. 1994. It’s Not Luck. Great Barrington, MA: North River Press.
Goldratt, E. M. 2002. Necessary & sufficient CD-2: The basic assumptions of TOC, Goldratt Marketing Group.
Goldratt, E. M. 2009. The Choice. Great Barrington, MA: North River Press.
Goldratt, E. M. and Cox, J. 1984. The Goal: Excellence in Manufacturing. Croton-on-Hudson, NY: North River Press.
Sullivan, T. T., Reid, R. A., and Cartier, B. 2007. TOCICO Dictionary. http://www.tocico.org/resource/resmgr/files-public/tocico_dictonary_first_edit.pdf
About the Author
Oded Cohen is one of the world’s well-known names in Theory of Constrains (TOC). He has 30 years of experience in developing, teaching, and implementing TOC methodology, solutions, and implementation processes working directly with Dr. Goldratt all over the world. Among the countries to which Oded brings his expertise are the United States, Canada, Japan, India, China, the UK, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Columbia, Chile, Peru, and many others.
Oded is an Industrial Engineer with an MSc in Operations Research from the Israeli Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel. He was one of the developers of Optimized Production Technology (OPT®—a registered trademark of Scheduling Technologies Group Limited, Hounslow, UK)—the logistical software for production scheduling, the TOC Thinking Processes, and the TOC management skills.
Oded has brought his expertise to educating a whole generation of TOC practitioners and implementers. He is known for his passion for working with people who love TOC.
Since 2001, Oded has been a part of the Goldratt Group as the International Director for Goldratt Schools—the organization that is committed to ensuring that the TOC knowledge is readily available for everyone who wants to learn TOC from a teacher. Goldratt Schools plays a major role in developing and supporting TOC Application Experts and TOC Consultants who are given the knowledge and the practical know-how for implementing TOC solutions.
Oded coauthored the book Deming & Goldratt: The Theory of Constraints and the System of Profound Knowledge—The Decalogue and is the author of the recently published book Ever Improve—A Guide to Managing Production the TOC Way.
CHAPTER 25
Thinking Processes Including S&T Trees
Lisa J. Scheinkopf
Introduction: Anybody Can Be a Jonah!
If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention, than to any other talent.
—Sir Isaac Newton
The Thinking Processes (TP) are the tools of Jonah, the beloved physicist-mentor of The Goal’s Alex Rogo (Goldratt and Cox, 1986). In order to really gain benefit from the use of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) TP, you need to adapt the mentality and discipline of thinking like Jonah. You don’t need to be born a genius. You don’t need to have a PhD. You do need the conviction to think clearly, and to consider yourself a scientist. According to Dr. Eli Goldratt, “no exceptional brain power is needed to construct a new science or to expand on an existing one. What is needed is just the courage to face inconsistencies and to avoid running away from them just because ‘that’s the way it was always done’” (Goldratt and Cox, 1986, Introduction). This leads us to the principle on which all of TOC is based—the concept of inherent simplicity. Goldratt discusses this concept in The Choice, explaining that “the key for thinking like a true scientist is the acceptance that any real life situation, no matter how complex it initially looks, is actually, once understood,