[Dface] Discussion of Introduction to Theory of Constraints

[Dface]

Topic Summary:
Discussion of TOC about where to start.
Goal:
Want to start discussion on TOC cuz I wanna see if I can use it in my life and get some practice.
CF Relevance:
TOC is part of CF

I wanna try using some TOC ideas in my spare time to see if I can make them work. If not it’s ok but the weakest link stuff and optimizing local optima is what im curious about.

Here’s some text from Introduction to Theory of Constraints:

@Elliot

They’re optimizing local optima, but that doesn’t significantly help the big picture (the global optima). We want success at our goal, e.g. making money, and the improvements we make are a means to that end.

Knowing what is local optima, the big picture, and goal sound important. Would verbalizing what my goals are be a good first step to finding the weakest link? I kind of wanna just jump into finding what the weakest link in the stuff I do instead. I wanna do it for the my philosophy learning, gaming, video editing, and maybe some smaller stuff like social conversations.

For this quote:

@Elliot

TOC advocates goals that involve a process of ongoing improvement so things can be good now and in the future. E.g. a company should aim to make money now and also in the future.

I don’t see how the example connects with the idea of

@Elliot

goals that involve a process of ongoing improvement so things can be good now and in the future.

“a company should aim to make money now and also in the future.” sounds like keeping things the same like make a certain amount of profit to keep the company going. What is improving? Is the company making money now and also in the future the good now and in the future part of the quote?:

@Elliot

so things can be good now and in the future.

Making money now and also in the future is good cuz it keeps the company going. If they didn’t make money then that would be bad and the company can get shut down. Does good have something to do with goals? Like the goals are being achieved? Keeping the company alive to me counts as a goal.

I think I get where the process of ongoing improvement comes in this part of the quote:

@Elliot

a company should aim to make money

Like you can have a guy who is putting toppings on a pizza in a restaurant and if he’s a beginner then training him is the process of ongoing improvement cuz after that pizzas can come out faster and the restaurant can serve more customers and make more money I think.

@Elliot

Success at our goal is called throughput, which means moving resources through a system to a goal at the end.

Usually, I try not to think of goals or the success at a goal cuz it’s like jinxing it to me. If I don’t think so much about the goal then whatever I’m trying to work at will work itself out probably. I don’t think this is a good thing tho. Learning what throughput is sounds so important for improving the weakest link.

@Elliot

An example of throughput is turning raw materials into intermediate components and then finished products in a factory (which are then sold to make money).

I wanna try some examples of throughput:

Example #1: I want wind blowing from my fan to circulate the air. Is plugging in my fan to the power and turning it on throughput? It’s blowing air now that’s what I want.

Example #2: I want to stay hydrated. Is getting a glass of water and drinking it throughput?

Example #3: Want to make a post about Introduction to Theory of Constraints. I want to do it so I can learn more about TOC. Is going to CF, making a post, copying a copying a quote, and replying to it throughput? I think the goal is learning about TOC. I think the goal is also to make a post engaging with Introduction to Theory of Constraints.

[Elliot]

@Dface

Example #1: I want wind blowing from my fan to circulate the air. Is plugging in my fan to the power and turning it on throughput? It’s blowing air now that’s what I want.

the blowing air is the throughput.

@Dface

Example #2: I want to stay hydrated. Is getting a glass of water and drinking it throughput?

Example #3: Want to make a post about Introduction to Theory of Constraints. I want to do it so I can learn more about TOC. Is going to CF, making a post, copying a copying a quote, and replying to it throughput? I think the goal is learning about TOC. I think the goal is also to make a post engaging with Introduction to Theory of Constraints.

yes

[Dface]

@Elliot

In general, there’s only one bottleneck. This is like a metal chain: a chain has only one weakest link.

I wanna think of some examples of weakest links:

Example #1: Ok, let’s say I want to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich, but I’m out of peanut butter. Would me having to go to the store make the peanut butter the weakest link? Idk maybe if I’m like in a hurry. I have to make a pb&j within the next 20 mins and get it to my sibling at school. The bread, jelly, and me assembling the ingredients has to wait on me buying peanut butter. I don’t know if the physical bread and jelly have to wait tho they’re not alive.

Example #2:Let’s say I’m sick with a sore throat and I want my throat to feel better. I get some some cough drops to soothe my throat. Is me being sick the weakest link? No, I’m already sick; I don’t think I can literally get rid of the sickness. My goal is to soothe my throat. That way I can have a better day. I have the cough drops with me already. All I gotta do is use them. I’m ok with waiting for how long it takes to get relief. I think the weakest link is actually using the cough drops cuz it takes a while to suck on them. I can get them, unwrap them, and put them in my mouth in seconds.

That makes me wonder: Is it always a bad thing to have a weakest link? Like is it ok to have a weakest link sometimes?

Example #3: I wanna think of a weakest link that’s actually something I want to improve. Let’s say I want to talk at a social gathering, but I’m too afraid of what they’ll think. Is the weakest link having expectations? I think I can say words and I can reply to someone if I think about it enough. What will they think of me tho? Are they thinking about me? How much? Do they even care that much? I may make a talking mistake but how bad is it if I make a mistake? Will they judge me? Im actually getting more used to people judging me.

Edit: I wanna fix this question in example 1: “Would me having to go to the store make the peanut butter the weakest link?” to this “Would me having to go to the store to get the peanut butter the weakest link?”

Edit 2: Wait nevermind on Edit 1. I think I need break or something. I’m reading things wrong.

[Elliot]

@Dface

That makes me wonder: Is it always a bad thing to have a weakest link? Like is it ok to have a weakest link sometimes?

Can it be avoided? Like can you build a chain with no weakest link?

[Dface]

@Elliot

Can it be avoided?

I dont know actually. I think there is always going to be a weakest link. Cuz by definition if one link is slightly weaker than the rest then it’s the weakest link.

Maybe if you make all links in the chain all withstand 5000 newtons of force exactly then there would be no weakest link. That sounds like a lot of work tho to make the links all match up

[Elliot]

Making all the links equal would be the balanced factory, which I wrote about, which isn’t good anyway.

[Dface]

Ohhhh I remember that. That makes more sense

[Dface]

Reading over the Focusing Steps:

@Elliot

The steps are:

1. Find the constraint.

So find the weakest link first? Ok. Idk how to find it or be sure of it. In a metal chain, the weakest link is the link that withstands the least amount of force before breaking.

Step two:

@Elliot

Optimize the constraint. (Make sure it’s used efficiently, e.g. if the bottleneck is a machine or tool, make sure it isn’t idle for lunch – not everyone should eat lunch at the same time.)

Optimize the weakest link? That doesn’t mean improve right? Like make the weakest link better by upping the force it can withstand? What about tossing the chain for a chain with a stronger weakest link? Is that optimizing the weakest link?

Optimizing the weakest link in the metal chain example could mean… something? idk.

@Elliot

Make sure it’s used efficiently,

Using something efficiently has to do with time, or energy, or strength maybe? Let’s say you use the metal chain effeciently to lift a lot of heavy objects. If the weakest link can withstand 5000 Newtons of force, you wouldn’t only carry things 1000 Newtons of force at a time. It would be more efficient to make the load heavier and carry more things at once.

[Dface]

Step 3 of Focusing Steps:

@Elliot

Subordinate everything else to the constraint.

I don’t know what that means. Does that mean that other parts of the system have to work under the constraint. Like the constraint says what goes?

@Elliot

The constraint has priority, so don’t let other parts of the system cause problems for the constraint.

Like since the constraint is already slow, don’t make it go slower?

@Elliot

Also don’t let the non-constraints produce more than the constraint can process.

I think that makes sense cuz if you do that you’ll have too many parts left. It’s a matter of math.

@Elliot

Add more capacity at the constraint.

Do you have to add more after doing step 1, 2, and 3? Or can you just skip to step five and see if the constraint moved? Ohh, I see now that after doing steps 1, 2, and 3, the constraint doesn’t move.

@Elliot

Optimize and subordinate first.

That makes sense cuz what if the constraint isn’t working at full potential and what if there are other things causing the constraint issues. If you just add more capacity it doesn’t sound like the problem is being addressed.

Edit: I meant to post this on the other thread: [Dface] Discussion of Introduction to Theory of Constraints. I think this reply is ok like this too tho

[Elliot]

@Dface

@Elliot

Add more capacity at the constraint.

Do you have to add more after doing step 1, 2, and 3? Or can you just skip to step five and see if the constraint moved? Ohh, I see now that after doing steps 1, 2, and 3, the constraint doesn’t move.

That’s a good question. The idea is that the constraint usually won’t move without doing step 4. But you’re right that it could move after doing the first 3 steps. If you think that may have happened, skipping step 4 and going to step 5 makes sense.

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@Elliot

But you’re right that it could move after doing the first 3 steps.

Ohhh, it could? If you use the constraint efficiently, can that increase its capacity?

@Elliot

If you think that may have happened, skipping step 4 and going to step 5 makes sense.

Ok ill keep that in mind

[Elliot]

@Dface

@Elliot

But you’re right that it could move after doing the first 3 steps.

Ohhh, it could? If you use the constraint efficiently, can that increase its capacity?

Say a machine can process 10 widgets per hour. And it’s the bottleneck. Then you add a night shift to use the machine at night. Its capacity in widgets per hour is the same, but it might not be the bottleneck anymore since it’s now finishing 240 widgets per day instead of 160.

You may want to try reading The Goal.

[Dface]

@Elliot

Its capacity in widgets per hour is the same, but it might not be the bottleneck anymore since it’s now finishing 240 widgets per day instead of 160.

Ohhh I thought something having the lowest capacity meant it was the bottleneck.

@Elliot

You may want to try reading The Goal.

Yeah, I did read some like a year ago. I’ll try to read it again.