It’s interesting that the steps are called “focusing steps.” I wonder what that means. Like, are we focusing our attention to the most important issues? Kinda. I think maybe focusing our attention on the system to improve it? I saw gemini say it was something about focusing our efforts to improve a system. Something like tht.
Making improvements sounds important to define i think. Cuz maybe even the slightest gain is an improvement on something. I think the improvements depend on the goal– the goal of the system i think?
conflict resolution:
z: know what “making improvements” mean
x: making improvements means making even the slightest improvement. I say that cuz a small improvement is still an improvement.
y: “making improvements” means making improvements according to the goal. Why according to the goal? Cuz in TOC the goal is important and you make improvements to reach the goal I think. Why reach the goal? I think that means making throughput. I forgot how to use throughput in a sentence
w: “making improvements” means improving stuff in a system. What stuff? I mean like better machines(i.e. parts of the system).
If you know what a constraint is then you can identify it. By that I mean if you know what’s the slowest part of the system… Wait, I forgot what the constraint is. The constraint can literally be a part that doesn’t have excess capacity. That or it may not even be barely enough. I have to look at past posts to remember what a constraint is brb.
Ok, I remember that the constraint is related to throughput. Improving the constraint will increase throughput. We will get more of the goal I think? Maybe we’ll reach our goal? Our new goal? I’m unsure. I didn’t review all that much besides the original post’s topic about constraints.
Ok, I looked at my reply in another post where I analyze the Constraints topic. The constraint limits throughput. If I know what “throughput” is then I can know what the constraint does to it. If throughput is a number then that means that the constraint stops the number from going up. I think if I also learn what “limits” means then I’ll know how the constraint interacts with throughput.
In the Marris Consulting example, the constraint which is the middle spout limits throughput. The throughput there is the amount of water flowing through. I think? Let me look at the video real quick to find out.
Ok, I saw the video again to understand what the goal was. The goal was to get water to the bottom. In the following quote of the Constraints topic:
Water has to get to the bottom to reach the goal. How much? And by what time? Since, the first sentence says get water that might mean like any amount of water I think? It may mean all the water? Also, since the second sentence talks about water flow, that means we’re talking about how much water passes over a certain amount of time. The throughput may be how much water flows down over time at the last spout; that’s where water reaches the bottom. I should look up what “throughput” means.
From Introduction to Theory of Constraints:
If you have success at a goal that’s what’s called throughput. If the goal is to graduate college with any associate degree, then accomplishing that is throughput.
Wanting to get a passing score on the test is the goal. Getting a passing score is throughput. The passing score means the goal was accomplished.
In the Marris Consulting example, if the goal was to just get all the water down the drain then, in a way, the time it takes doesn’t matter. Whatever spout size we use that lets all the water pass through after a certain amount of time will be ok. After all the water passes through, we can can identify that as throughput. If the goal was to get water to the bottom at a reasonably quick time then it would be good to increase the correct spout sizes. We’ll get a good water flow that way. Let’s say we want to drain 30 L of water to the bottom in one minute. We’ll be using the spouts in the Marris Consulting example, but those spouts right now drain the water in two. That means our goal is to have the water drain at a speed of .5 ML every second. When you increase the spout that was the constraint, the speed you wanted and got is the throughput. You want water to drain at a certain rate and now you have that rate. You’re successful at your goal.
My questions about the paragraph above:
Is there a certain size of spout that’ll have the water take an infinite amount of time to pass through?
In the third sentence, is all the water passing through success at our goal? Does “goal” mean making an idea to do something and its success is actually doing it? Maybe it’s passing a checklist or a criteria.
In the third sentence again, is identify a good word to use? I think I want to say all the water passing through is called throughput.
Is saying, “draining 30L of water every minute” different than saying “draining 30L of water in one minute?”
Is the second goal of paragraph a reasonable goal? Like, was it good to show my understanding about what throughput is? I’m doubting it