Theory of Constraints Handbook - James Cox Iii [769]
12Please read Chapter 36, this volume.
1The military context is the basis for this taxonomy, as reflected in Table 19-2. In military applications, operations are large-scale coordinated events (often multi-service). Tactics are normally employed by smaller, discrete units.
2Many people and organizations make no concerted effort whatsoever to observe what’s going on around them and put such observations into any kind of context relevant to themselves. As Winston Churchill once observed, “Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on” (Winston Churchill, http://quotationsbook.com/quote/19633/).
3It was nearly two decades before Boyd himself actually identified, analyzed, and articulated the OODA process he was unquestionably practicing it in the 1950s. But he was doing it all the same.
4Different people refer to the methodology created by Goldratt variously as thinking process or thinking processes. For the past eight years, I have inserted the word “logical” when I refer to it and used the singular form in order to more simply convey what the method involves to audiences having little or no prior exposure to TOC. The simplified, more streamlined version of the thinking process that I teach now—what amounts to a third generation—differs enough from Goldratt’s initial conception that I believe it warrants a modified name. The essential concept of logic trees, though, is still the brainchild of Goldratt.
5Current Reality Tree, Evaporating Cloud, Future Reality Tree, Prerequisite Tree, and Transition Tree.
6The use of the IO Map is not limited to strategy development alone. As it happens, its use as the first step in the LTP for any purpose is highly recommended. See Dettmer (2007) for a more detailed explanation.
7Note that depending on environmental conditions, “maximum profitability” might actually be numerically negative. Nevertheless, it would be the smallest negative number possible to achieve.
8A cybernetic system is one that is affected by environmental shifts but has the means through feedback control to continue to meet system objectives. Additionally, a cybernetic system’s objectives are not rigidly fixed but are adaptable to changing conditions and responsive to new understanding. Cybernetic systems gain from experience and thus exhibit learning (Athey, 1982).
9It’s highly desirable to capture baseline figures, statistics, and other data in the first iteration of the observe step to facilitate effective detection of change in the second iteration of observation. Too often, this is neglected in actual practice.
10Other chapters in this Handbook provide guidance on constructing CRTs. The Logical Thinking Process (Dettmer, 2007) provides step-by-step explanation and instructions not found elsewhere specifically for integrating the IO Map with the CRT.
1There are two distinct motives for initiating a change: (1) there is a problem in the current situation or (2) there is an opportunity we would like to seize or a vision we would like to pursue. In the latter, we ask Wary Will to climb up the cliff not because there is an alligator behind him but because there is a treasure up there. This situation requires a very different buy-in process that is outside the scope of this chapter. If we try to use the Layers of Resistance here, we might very well get stuck at Layer 0—the other party will insist there is nothing wrong in the current situation, which is actually correct.
2According to their suggestions, the more familiar people become with the change, the more control they have over decisions and actions, and the more they invest their time, ideas, and resources, the stronger their sense of ownership becomes.
1In our company, we refer to sales opportunities as “projects.”
2I highly recommend each and every one of you to read this article. This paper has since been published: Goldratt, E. M. 2009. “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants”. The Manufacturer. June. accessed Feb.