This blog post is the last in this series from my
newest book, Theory of Constraints, Lean,
and Six Sigma Improvement Methodology: Making the Case for Integration,
which was just released. As I said in
the beginning of this series, it 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.
For those of you who have not yet had the opportunity
to learn about the Theory of Constraints (TOC), I will open this book with a
chapter on what it is and why it will work so well in your own improvement
efforts. In addition, I will explain in
detail, the method I use to teach newcomers what TOC is and what it will do for
any company. TOC is clearly the “missing
link” in most improvement initiatives.
In the second chapter, I will lay out the important points
related to Lean Manufacturing and demonstrate how to identify and remove waste
to make value flow. In Chapter 3, I will
introduce the reader to Six Sigma and present key points related to variability
and the significant impact it has on systems.
In chapter 4, I will demonstrate how I have effectively merged the
Theory of Constraints with Lean and Six Sigma to achieve maximum improvement to
your company’s profitability. As you will see, while TOC works well in
isolation, its full power is not realized until it is combined with Lean and
Six Sigma. The same is true for Lean and
Six Sigma in that their full value is not achieved until they are combined with
the Theory of Constraints.
From that point forward, I will present various case
studies where I have used this integrated improvement methodology, which I
refer to as [1] The Ultimate Improvement Cycle.
The case studies will clearly demonstrate how this methodology applies
to seemingly every industry type. In one
of the case studies, I will explain how it works in a manufacturing
environment, while in another case study, I will demonstrate how well this same
methodology works in a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility. And in yet
another case study, I will demonstrate how it also applies to a healthcare
environment.
In the final chapter in this book, I will present
something referred to as a mafia offer, which is an offer to potential and
existing customers that is so good, they couldn’t possible refuse it. Closely related to this mafia offer is something
referred to as a viable vision, which if used correctly will take your future
profits to the level of sales that you have today.
[1] The Ultimate Improvement Cycle has served me well
throughout my years in continuous improvement consulting, as well as my time
spent in roles as a General Manager of a manufacturing facility and as a VP of
Engineering. I consider myself very
“lucky” to have come across the Theory of Constraints as the “missing link”
throughout my improvement journey. But as I always say in my books, I wish you
much luck in your improvement journey.
But my definition of luck is Laboring Under Correct Knowledge…..you make
your own LUCK!
In my next post, I will begin a new series of posts on a new subject.
Bob Sproull
No comments:
Post a Comment