The application of theory of constrain (TOC) in an organisation to resolve problems and to boost productivity

The theory of constraints (TOC) identifies constraints which are otherwise labelled as waste by lean. It isolates these constraints and provide resources in order to buffer and/or eliminate them completely. Its underlying premise is that organisations can be measured and controlled by variation on three measures which are throughput, operational expense and inventory. TOC challenges managers to rethink some of their fundamental assumptions about how to achieve the goals of their organizations, what they consider productive actions, and about the real purpose of cost management in order to maximize throughput through sales. It is about understanding bottlenecks to a process and better managing these bottlenecks to create an efficient process. The paper identifies inputs that are causing constraints. It explains the methodology to isolates them and how and when to apply TOC in minimising their impact. In order to prove this, a research was carried out in the Bakwena mine in South Africa where TOC was used to resolve recurring problems. The end results has shown that when problem area are isolated, conditions observed, resources allocated at the problem area and action taken to address problems immediately, positive results can be achieved