Jun's Blog

Output, activities, memo and etc.

Theory of constraints (TOC) - thinking process

Others

There is a management paradigm Theory of Constraints (TOC) [1] developed originally from hard science by Eliyahu Goldratt.

This time my goal is to clarify the steps for all the stakeholders to find bottlenecks (constraints) to change in a project, and make it actionable.

Conclusion

Here are the mandatory 2 steps I find, when doing it with the stakeholders.

  • "1." List all the undesirable effects (UDEs)
  • "2." Create the current reality tree (CRT) from the UDE list with other entities.

Optionally the following steps help the above 2 steps.

  • "3." Use "evaporating cloud" to fix conflicts when seeing the conflicts.
  • "4." Use "3-cloud method" to find core bottlenecks by picking up 3 UDEs with different categories in the UDE list and finding a high level structure.

Optionally here is the next steps.

  • "5." List the desirable effects (DEs) from the UDE list.
  • "6." Create the future reality tree (FRT) from the DE list with other entities.

The processes to learn the steps

Overwhelmed for the steps? No worry. Let's check each part one by one.

TOC for Education [2] is to apply TOC for kids education. I recommend check this slide [3] at first, when you are first time for TOC. Because it makes you recognize "Oh kids can do it. So, we can do it".

The following tools are in the TOC for Education". The logical branch can be used in the process of creating the current reality tree (CRT). Ambitious target tree can be used in the process of creating future reality tree (FRT), prerequisite tree (PRT) and transition tree (TRT) in my assumption. The trees are to clarity the future strategy.

  • Evaporating Cloud (Cloud)
  • Logical Branch (Branch)
  • Ambitious Target Tree (Ambitious Target)

If you can read Japanese, I recommend the book [4] written by the Japan representative of the Goldratt consulting. I can not find this concept's English book so far.

Next is to understand the steps. The slide [5] and [6] are good for that. Eliyahu Goldratt's book "It's Not Luck" [6] is good to understand the steps with UDE, CRT, DE, FRT, evaporating cloud. If you do not have time, just check the pictures. [8], [9], [10] are good websites for that. If you can read Japanese, the "It's Not Luck" manga version [11] is really good. Thanks for the manga culture in Japan. The book [12] is also really good.

Summarizing it, the following 2 slides are a good start in general.

TOC key concepts

Though it's not required to learn the thinking process and tools such as CRT, to understand TOC's key concepts such as in the [1] - History, his book "The Goal" [13] looks good. The English comic version [14] looks good. I have not read both. If you can read Japanese, the Japanese manga version [15] is really good. I did read the manga version.

The Choice

There are beliefs that connect to the clear thoughts written in his book "The Choice" [16]. He said the book was the most important in his books. I referred a person's blog [17] to write the English beliefs as I only did read the book's Japanese edition. Thanks! The topic of the comfort zone explaining an emotional resistance for the change is also good to know.

  • People are good.
  • Every conflict can be removed.
  • Every situation is simple.
  • Every situation can be substantially improved.
  • Every people can have a meaningful life.

References

Designing healthy habits

Others Healthy diet

The goal is to maximize my energy in AM after waking up, and improve an environment to think.

I noticed caring some basic needs is important to do some activities for higher needs, according to the human's growth psychology models such as Maslow's hierarchy and triune brain [1]. I followed the methods by my friend in most part. Thanks, friend.

Now my condition might be one of the best ones in last 10 years at least until a cold winter to come here in Czech Republic.

The point is to focus emission at first, then enhancement at second.

Throw objects and clean your room

When we see some messy objects, our energy for attention loses. You might remember when you work in the clean cafe, you could work comfortably. So, this is important, and do at first. But if you do not have an energy to do it, skip this task, and focus the following other tasks at first until you will get the energy.

This is "emission" part of the working space.

Sleep well

Blackout curtains, eye mask, ear plugs are useful. Really. By sleeping well, you feel more energy in the morning.

I end up the dinner at least until 8PM. And the dinner is a small amount of food. This is important to sleep well. Do your stomach rest when sleeping at night.

Clean intestines

Lemon water & psyllium

This is "emission" part of the body. In the body, "emission" means discharging the poop cleaning intestines.

I drink fresh lemon water with one lemon squeezed by the tool, and also drink psyllium with water every morning. This means focusing discharging the poop from the intestines in the morning.

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Then after that, when the day is sunny, I go outside for jogging. The reason is mainly to trigger the peristaltic waves in the intestine [2] and soak up the sun that triggers a good sleep at night.

Trampoline

But I bought a fitness trampoline. This also triggers the peristaltic waves in intestine. And it's good exercise even when the weather is not good instead of jogging. When I feel my energy becomes low, do trampoline soon casually. I recognized how doing soon casually is important after trying it. "I feel low energy, but no energy to go outside for jogging" does not happen with the trampoline.

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What I bought is this trampoline: Zenph fitness trampoline, folding trampoline, mute environmental protection, foot cover, indoor/outdoor trampoline and cardio sport for children and adults, maximum load is 150 kg.

My concern about the trampoline was a vibration.

After watching this video [3] (Japanese), It seems the vibration is no problem. But my trampoline is still a little noisy seeing [4] (Japanese).

Food

This is a part of enhancement of the body as exercise as well. I am observing and recording my condition every morning, how my condition is when easing a food in previous day's dinner.

One of my favorite foods is a baked brown rice. Just bake brown rice on ban. This is also a preserved food. I bring this food for travel, or eat it when I am hungry.

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  • When eating brown rice + good oil (in my case, olive oil) soup with optionally fish can + egg + vegetables, it's okay to eat less. So eating this food on dinner is the best for the condition so far. When I want to reset my condition, I only eat the soup and lunch and dinner. It is like a fasting.
  • I avoid eating 3 white foods: generated sugar, white wheat (gluten) and milk products (casein), and coffee as much as possible.
  • I avoid a block (steak) of the meat and potatoes too. it's not good for my stomach in my case.

Focus AM to clean intestine

In a day, AM after waking up to eating lunch is the time to clean intestine and rest stomach and intestines. In breakfast, I only drink above lemon water and optionally fruits. Then AM is a time to use the most important things in a day. The brain works effectively.

Reference