Theory of constraints (teoría de las limitaciones)

Theory of Constraints T.O.C.
By Ana María Londoño Leudo

The TOC is a method of organizations continuous improvement applied to diagnose and fix troubles of the companies no matter the size ofthem, with the aim of the companies reach its goals.

¿What is the goal?
To answer this question depends on which type of business we are talking: with profit or non-profit. The nonprofit generallyhas specific objectives of its productive activity for example an Educational Institution aims to increase the quality of education each year, and as goal in hypothetical way for example, increase theECAE´s score. Then in these businesses the goal depends on how can you reach these objectives. In Types profit companies its principal goal is to generate money from now and for the future.

Butcompanies make money to stay in the market, to satisfy their own needs, of the shareholders, and of the workers. How much we can earn? But what do not allow us to reach that money? Something calledConstraint or limitation.

A limitation is as a stone in the shoe, if we want that the organizations flow and progress is important to overcome all the obstacles. It´s like a process that is done wrongand It does the whole enterprise is at this rate.

Exist two types of restrictions: physical and political; in physical are all of the sources that at any time are considered finite. For example theraw material, the market, the machinery...Etc. when we are talking about the political type, we refer to paradigms and organizational troubles, all this occurs in middle of supply, operations, andmarket changes.

How can we overcome these problems?
First, we need to take one of the two learning methods, the Aristotelian method (Based on observations I can give a solution) or the Socratic method(based on questions made by the same person I can give a solution). Unfortunately if we base on the Aristotelian method to resolve the enterprises problems we can solve in a short term, only give a...