Another New Book Part 4

In this blog post, I will be continuing to present highlights from my newest book, Theory of Constraints, Lean, and Six Sigma Improvement Methodology: Making the Case for Integration, which was just released.  This series is taken from the Preface of this new book and I hope you enjoy this series.  In my last post in this series, I continued discussing some of my early learnings gained throughout my career and in this post I will continue along these lines.

As time passed, I felt like there was some kind of missing link in my arsenal of improvement tools, and then it happened.  Eventually, in addition to my basic Lean and Six Sigma training, I studied hard and eventually became a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt.  But then the epiphany happened when I learned about the Theory of Constraints (TOC).  I studied hard and eventually became what is referred to as a TOC Jonah.  I had discovered what this missing link was and that something was called the Theory of Constraints (TOC).  Once I learned the details of TOC, my ability to make fast, major improvements jettisoned upward to levels I had not experienced before.  I must say that I was shocked, in that I couldn’t imagine why I had not come across this missing link before.  And as the title of this book suggests, the Theory of Constraints played a pivotal role in how I approach improvement.  As you will see, an integrated TOC, Lean and Six Sigma is the common denominator in all of my case studies presented in this book.

Prior to learning about the Theory of Constraints, it was not uncommon for me to focus on individual parts of processes and improve them.  I assumed that the sum total of these isolated improvements would result in system-wide improvements.  After all, when you improve any part of a process, the system automatically improves. Right?  But as I discovered, after learning about the Theory of Constraints, my assumptions were clearly erroneous!  The sum total of improvements to isolated parts of a system, does not translate into system-wide improvement.  This fact dramatically changed my entire approach to improvement.  The fact is, the only way the system will be improved is by focusing your improvement efforts on that part of the system that is limiting it!

Years later, the same CEO that wanted me to close the plant in Kentucky, called me and asked me to join him at another manufacturing company which produced truck bodies.  This time, my role was to be in charge of their continuous improvement effort.  Needless to say, I accepted his offer, but soon after I arrived, he fired the VP of Engineering and asked me to absorb Engineering into my span of control.  I reluctantly agreed, and to my dismay, I found the Engineering group was in serious trouble.  In trouble because of the length of time in which they completed their engineering work so as to be able to bid on new jobs.  And to make matters worse, the morale in Engineering was in the tank.  In one of the later chapters, I will present what happened at this facility in a case study format.

In my next post, I will continue to present details about my newest book, Theory of Constraints, Lean, and Six Sigma Improvement Methodology: Making the Case for Integration.

Bob Sproull