What s the impact of Theory of Constraints TOC in project bottleneck management

Question

How do you use Configuration Management to stay on top of project scope changes? I’m trying to build traceability into our change process.

Answer 1

Eliyahu Goldratt invented the Theory of Constraints (TOC), which focuses on finding and regulating the system's weakest point, or constraint, that affects overall performance. In project management, this directly improves flow, resource allocation, and delivery times.

• Identify the bottleneck (constraint)

  • Look for the task, team, or resource that causes work pileups or slowdowns

  • Frequently, it is a single talent, a constrained approval process, or a high-dependency activity

• Utilize the Constraint

  • Maximize the bottleneck's efficiency without further investment

  • Ensure that it functions continually, without idle time or multitasking

• Subordinate Everything Else

  • Align all other tasks and resources around the restriction

  • Avoid overproduction upstream or dependencies that overload the bottleneck

• Increase the constraint

  • Increase capacity, invest in tools, recruit employees, or revamp procedures

  • Only do this if other methods have failed to eliminate the bottleneck

• Repeat the process

  • Once the original limitation is addressed, the bottleneck shifts—restart

TOC helps project managers improve system-wide flow by addressing one constraint at a time.