Theory of Constraints Introduction

[Elliot]

@Dface

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?

yes

@Dface

Wait, I forgot what the constraint is.

constraint = bottleneck = limiting factor

@Dface

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.

For bottlenecks, it can help to consider just pouring in a huge amount of water (or trying to produce a huge amount of products from a factory). If you pour way more water in the top than will flow through anytime soon, then you can figure out which part is limiting the rate the water flows through.

[Dface]

@Elliot

@Dface

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?

yes

Ok, but I answered kinda to that question.

Conflict Resolution why did I think the answer was kinda?

Conflict Resolution:

z or “the goal”: know why TOC focusing steps are called “focusing steps.”

x: I thought because TOC is about working on the 1% of key issues and that focusing steps is about making improvements, I thought we were focusing on important issues

y: I thought “focusing steps” means we’re focusing on the right thing. Like, we’re focusing on key issues.

w: I thought “focusing steps” was just about making improvements, so we’re focusing on making improvements

u: I thought that “focusing steps” wasn’t related to the important issues cuz it wasn’t brought up. If it’s not brought up then it’s a reach to think that. Why? I don’t know. I’m not used to making long connections like that

v: I thought that “focusing steps” was talking about the actual steps and nothing else. I didn’t want to jump ahead and bring up the 1 percent of key issues. Why? Cuz it’s hard to know if I’m hard with stuff like that.

@Elliot

constraint = bottleneck = limiting factor

ok for limiting factor, I’m thinking it’s equal to limiting part of the system. I’m gonna look again at a past post about factors in a system to be more familiar with them.

Ok, in the Marris Consulting example the spouts are parts of the system, they let water through. The system is something… I forgot. I want to say a part of the system is synonymous to a factor in a system. I think I need more practice with these words and expressing them.

Things to practice:

• Use words like constraint, limiting factor, part of a system more in my vocabulary.
• Identify parts of a system when thinking and doing stuff daily
• Identify factors in a system when thinking
• Use the same definition of limiting as in “limiting factor” to get a good idea of what a limiting factor looks like
• Replace limiting factor when I find it with bottlekneck or constraint so I can recall those being the same quicker.
• Get better at making examples to practice and show my understanding
• Know how to find if words are synomous or have some differences or maybe that they can overlap
• Know what is a part of the system or factor in the marris consulting system.
• Know what a system is and how to talk about one
• Know how talking about a system is relating to talking about its factors or parts

@Elliot

@Dface

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.

For bottlenecks, it can help to consider just pouring in a huge amount of water (or trying to produce a huge amount of products from a factory). If you pour way more water in the top than will flow through anytime soon, then you can figure out which part is limiting the rate the water flows through.

Below is what I wrote in a hurry so sorry for mistakes:

First sentence of your quote talks about how to think about bottleknecks to understand them. It talks about what example to think of that will help. The part in parantheses is another example to think of. They’re very similar. You’re moving resources to a goal at the end.

The first clause of the second sentence talks about something to look out for. It’s also what to think of when considering pouring a huge amount of water. There’s also measurements involved I think. At least numbers, cuz how would you know that there’s more water from the top coming in than coming out of the bottom. Something important tho I think is the part of the first clause that talks about water flowing through. Like, you initially pour a lot of water and there’s way more there than will flow through the system. That will help you find the bottkneck or think about finding the bottlekneck I think.

The second clause of the last sentence looks like you’re looking at parts of the system. One of those parts has got to be the limiting factor. The clause also talks about you looking at the rate of the water flowing through. I think if you know what the rate the water flows through is and what parts of a system is and that a part is limiting that rate then you can find the bottlekneck.

Edit: in the conflict resolution i made, on letter v the last sentence, I meant to say: it’s hard to know if im right. I was thinking too much about difficulty and wrote the sentence wrong. Mb

[Dface]

My following reply is me writing it with low energy, but I will follow up with what I think I could work on after writing a section:

@Elliot

First, find the constraint. Then optimize it. Stay focused and don’t optimize other parts of the system.

Optimizing seems like it means make the constraint better or make things better for it. I don’t see that happen that much but I notice it when I play Marvel Rivals. It happened yesterday where I was messing up the enemy team as a dps hero and then the enemy diver changed up his strat kind of and it started working out for his team. I wonder what he optimize to win them the game or if I even have to think about that to win.

Stay focused sounds intersting. I bet it’s talking about staying focused on the key issues don’t focus on working on stuff that has excess capacity. The same sentence about staying focused also says don’t optimize other parts that don’t need it i think. That right there is improving stuff that already is probably enough. It’s like you already found your constraint why are you focusing away from it?

What I could work on

• Use apostrophes more to show that im quoting something from the block quote. Also I should look at the forum rules about this. I remember there was something important about using double quotes.
• For my first paragraph the last sentence I should work on using commas more so it doesn’t look like im chunking too many things together
• For the second sentence of the second paragraph I should try to learn when I separate stuff by commas, periods, or semicolons more so I could make good judgements about that.

@Elliot

If you need further improvement, organize the whole system around the constraint.

That seems like taking the whole system into account. Like, you’re looking at the bigger picture i think. If a certain part of the system makes stuff at a certain rate when will the constraint receive that? when can the constraint start working? It all makes me think of the Marris Consulting example and being advised to not look at stuff individually.

Also, I see the first clause say if you need futher improvment. That means that you can improve your system and maybe not get all the desired results that you wanted? I wonder if it’s bad that you need further improvement after you already tried to improve stuff.

What I could work on:

• Instead of saying “That” in my first sentence above, I could say maybe the second clause
• The first paragraph of this section, I was trying to recall the idea about looking at stuff individually and trying to relate that idea to optimizing the constraint further. It was hard. I didn’t know how to remember and phrase things well
• Maybe work on spelling mistakes, like why do they happen sometimes? Is it really a thing to focus on?

@Elliot

Change other parts in ways that make things easier for the constraint.

It’s hard to visualize this. I want to relate this to the marris consulting example cuz I like that example. How would other parts make it hard for the constraint in that example? I was thinking that it would have to interfere with the middle spout passing water. Idk

What I could work on:

• Work on capatilizing proper noun stuff to be consistent.
• When I can’t figure stuff out use a brainstorm to get some ideas out

@Elliot

Doing two hours of work somewhere else to save an hour at the constraint can be efficient.

That’s interesting. Even tho we found the constraint that doesn’t mean it’s all on it. Like, a part of the system can give the constraint a lot of work to do. If the constraint works at a certain rate and has a lot to do then it has a big burden I think. I think another way is to not give the constraint enough to do maybe?? I don’t that’s right. Maybe the constraint is only working a few hours a day but can work at other hours too.

What I could work on:

• work on using references more intuitively like keep track of a reference when I use it. If i use more than once just use the actual word instead.

• work on making sure I write verbs for every sentence like on the second to last I forgot to write “think”

@Elliot

To improve further, increase the capacity of the constraint.

You say improve further and need further improvement in above quoted paragraph and the one before. What’s the first way to optimize the constraint then? In the second paragraph of the Focusing Steps section it says to then optimize the constraint. i probably have to watch the video to get more info. If I remember correctly, you wanna make stuff for the constraint easier first before increasing its capacity.

In the Marris Consulting example increasing the capacity of the constraint would be to increase the size of the middle faucet. Maybe there’s other ways.

What I could work on:

• When I say “this source says something” should I use double quotes there to show exactly what they say? Or can it be in my own words?
• I need to work on using commas more after using prepositional phrases in a. sentence. I messed up i think in the last paragraph first sentence.

@Elliot

Notably, don’t do this earlier. It’s usually more efficient to make other changes first.

I wonder why it’s more efficient to make other changes first. When I play Marvel Rivals, I focus on increasing the capacity to find my target or understand their strafing pattern first. I think I always focus on increasing the capacity first. Maybe it’ll be easier for me to make things more efficient for the constraint. I gotta find the constraint reliably first tho.

I wonder what are the other changes you want to do first. Also, I wonder why making things for the constraint is more efficient. “Efficient” has to do with saving time or energy I think.

@Elliot

After adding resources to the constraint, check if it’s still the constraint.

I think adding resources to the constraint means to have stuff go through the system? Like, just use the system and check on the constraint. That or it means increasing the capacity of the constraint.

@Elliot

If the constraint moved, return to step one.

You can repeat these steps cuz there will always be a constraint and part of the steps is to find the constraint first.

[Dface]

@Dface

@Elliot

First, find the constraint. Then optimize it. Stay focused and don’t optimize other parts of the system.

Optimizing seems like it means make the constraint better or make things better for it.

Is there any literature or discussion tht says this? Ot says something similar?

I dont think i know wat a constraint is, like i think im using the word just to use it in a sentence and move on. Why not think of examples of constraints and start optimizing them? Thtll let u know what optimizing a constraint means.

@Dface

I don’t see that happen that much but I notice it when I play Marvel Rivals.

Seems like i have some idea about what optimizing a constraint means. Why not try identifying the constraint then name some examples of optimizing them?

@Dface

It happened yesterday where I was messing up the enemy team as a dps hero and then the enemy diver changed up his strat kind of and it started working out for his team. I wonder what he optimize to win them the game or if I even have to think about that to win.

What strat did he change? How was i messing up the enemy team? Tht sounds like a system with good enough parts.

I seem to not understand the system the enemy and their team used. I think finding tht out can let me lay out all the parts of the system and find the constraint.

[Elliot]

@Dface

@Elliot

Doing two hours of work somewhere else to save an hour at the constraint can be efficient.

That’s interesting. Even tho we found the constraint that doesn’t mean it’s all on it. Like, a part of the system can give the constraint a lot of work to do. If the constraint works at a certain rate and has a lot to do then it has a big burden I think. I think another way is to not give the constraint enough to do maybe?? I don’t that’s right. Maybe the constraint is only working a few hours a day but can work at other hours too.

say the constraint is AI tokens. then it’d be efficient to carefully spend a lot of time figuring out the best prompts to give the AI. your time has excess capacity.

if AI tokens are cheap and your time is the constraint, then instead you should give the AI prompts a lot more casually, experimentally and repetitively (try multiple similar prompts) and let it do more work instead of you.

if the constraint is a big oven that can only 3 8-hour batches per day, then you could do quality control before the oven so fewer broken parts go through the oven, so the oven is used more efficiently.

@Dface

@Elliot

Notably, don’t do this earlier. It’s usually more efficient to make other changes first.

I wonder why it’s more efficient to make other changes first. When I play Marvel Rivals, I focus on increasing the capacity to find my target or understand their strafing pattern first. I think I always focus on increasing the capacity first. Maybe it’ll be easier for me to make things more efficient for the constraint. I gotta find the constraint reliably first tho.

the idea is the constraint is hard/expensive to improve/increase or else it wouldn’t be the constraint (you would have already improved it). this doesn’t apply in very early stages of things before the system is stabilized and the constraint stops changing much.

[Elliot]

@Dface

@Dface

It happened yesterday where I was messing up the enemy team as a dps hero and then the enemy diver changed up his strat kind of and it started working out for his team. I wonder what he optimize to win them the game or if I even have to think about that to win.

What strat did he change? How was i messing up the enemy team? Tht sounds like a system with good enough parts.

“target the enemy carry” is a common strategy which can turn games around.