Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/723195
68 The PCB Magazine • September 2016 way of achieving a goal and then systematically improving that constraint until it is no longer the limiting factor. In manufacturing, the con- straint is often referred to as a bottleneck. The TOC takes a scholarly approach to im- provement. It believes that every complex sys- tem, including manufacturing processes, con- sists of many linked activities, one of which acts as a constraint upon the entire system (i.e., the constraint activity is the "weakest link in the chain"). The Theory of Constraints provides a powerful set of tools for helping to achieve that goal, including: • The Five Focusing Steps (a methodology for identifying and eliminating constraints) • The Thinking Processes (tools for analyzing and resolving problems) • Throughput Accounting (a method for measuring performance and guiding management decisions) Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt conceived the TOC, and introduced it to a wide audience through his bestselling 1984 novel, The Goal [6] . Since then, TOC has continued to evolve and devel- op, and today it is a significant factor within the world of management best practices. These strategies are seen in Figure 2. The Toyota Way In a Lean-manufacturing tutorial from The Art of Service [7] comes this explanation of the Toyota Way: There is a second approach to Lean manufac- turing, which is promoted by Toyota, called 'The Toyota Way.' In TTW, the focus is upon improv- ing the flow of work, thereby steadily eliminating mura ("unevenness") through the system, and not upon waste reduction per se. Techniques to improve flow include production leveling, "pull" production (by means of kanban) and the Hei- LEAN MANUFACTURING Figure 2: The goal of zero defects and Lean is a process of implementing other key strategies.