1. What is TOC?

The Theory of Constraints is a system of problem analysis and decision-making developed by Dr. Eli Goldratt and others over a ten-year period. It draws it's core ideas from the nature of organisations operating as a chain, hence the weakest link or constraint, and the fact that the constraint, whether it be physical, policy or paradigm, will always determine performance. The systemic approach was at the centre of the creation of applications such as Drum-Buffer-Rope for manufacturing and Critical Chain for project management. It has also been used to develop a set of team building and management tools which address issues such as conflict resolution, improving delegation, achieving ambitious team targets and so on, and has as the flagship programme the "Enterprise Analysis" course which is a full examination of the company and develops breakthrough solutions to long term problems. (See the books by Dr. Ted Hutchin "Enterprise Focused Management" and "Unconstrained Organisations" for more information)

2. What is the CCPM?

CCPM is the application developed using the full set of the TOC tools known as the TOC Thinking Processes (TOC/TP). This approach was first developed within the Proctor and Gamble organisation in the USA and has become the basis for breakthrough solutions in project management in many organisations around the world. This course is the best introduction to the CCPM approach and will cover most of the key aspects. (See the books by Dr. Goldratt "Critical Chain", by Larry Leach "Critical Project Management", and by Dr. Ted Hutchin "Enterprise Focused Management")

3. Is there specific CCPM software?

Yes, there are currently three packages that we know of. Prochain was the first used for implementations, within Lucent Technologies and Ericsson. It proved to be reasonably effective for single project environments but less effective in multi-project environments. We are aware of some problems with the software, it is essentially a macro sitting on top of MS Project, which led us to examine the other software systems. Scitor have a product called PS8. We have only had reports of this software and it does not appear to be as effective as the third package. This is Concerto and we have used this product within the Philips Organisation in Holland. This is a very powerful system, is highly effective in multi-project and single project environments, uses the internet for connection and is therefore excellent when projects are spread over a wide geographical area. Currently, though not a software provider, we recommend the use of Concerto, but this is a decision for the client, we only guide. We can however support the software implementation throughout the lifetime of the project.

4. In which countries and sectors is TOC used?

Throughout the world and in all types and sizes of companies. This includes Europe, Eastern Europe, both North and South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Japan is the fastest growing country for TOC development, China, Israel and India. Sectors include construction, pharmaceuticals, automotive, aircraft, defence industries, healthcare, schools and education in general, general manufacturing, process industries, retail outlets and many more.

5. What is the level of education to implement TOC?

Anyone can do it, from the shop floor to the boardroom. There is no educational requirement to be able to implement common sense. I only ask people are able to think!

6. How long does it take to implement TOC within a company?

Results can be seen within four to six weeks, in other environments it might take a year. In project environments the overall time scale of the project might be two to three years, but within a matter on months resource productivity will have gone up significantly, costs will be under far better control, variations more easily accommodated if required, and the relationships both within the organisation and without side bodies substantially improved. In the area of production I would expect improvement within four to six weeks from going live. In other areas such as retail, distribution etc it depends on the scale of the problem set being addressed.

7. What is the pre-requisite knowledge?

If we are talking about the wider application of the TOC/TP then there are three main assumptions/knowledge that must exist. First each individual must care about the organisation they are seeking to improve, care about their people, care about their suppliers, and their customers, both current and future. Second they must have excellent intuition about their organisation and the environment in which it operates. I cannot provide this, it must pre-exist my involvement. With those two in place I teach the TOC/TP which will address major problems within their organisation, create a consensus about the problem, a consensus about the direction of the solution, a consensus about the benefits of the solution to all parties, an ability to overcome all the reservations about the proposed solution, and finally to make it happen.

If we are talking about the world of project management then much the same applies. If they do not have any knowledge about project management then CCPM will not make much sense. If they are not experiencing the many problems that currently exist in project management then they will have no feel for the power of the solution. They must know about the creation and validation of project networks, they must know about the problems of resource management, they must know about the difficulties of keeping to time and/or budget and/or specification, they must know about the pressures that exist for all levels within project driven organisation, if they have all that then TOC will be one of the most important developments they will ever have seen.