#92 – THE BIG PICTURE OF MANAGEMENT AND THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS – ANGELA MONTGOMERY

1dba0a5Due to the global success of Dr. Goldratt’s first business novel ‘The Goal’ most people mistakenly think of TOC as just a technique for manufacturing. While TOC does produces fast and radical improvements in manufacturing processes, it is in fact a whole system philosophy and method. The thinking that underlies this theory stems from a worldview of unity where all the parts of an organization are connected and it provides solutions for all aspects of management, from the minutiae of day-to-day disagreements right through to entire supply chain management. Continue reading

#92 – CREATING A RELIABILITY PLAN: STARTING POINTS – FRED SCHENKELBERG

ABC FredThere are two basic philosophies for creating a reliability plan for a new product or system. One is to experiment with prototypes as quickly and often as possible: This is the so-called build, test, fix approach. Alternatively, you can research and model detailed aspects of the materials and structures to characterize the strength of a product or system: This is the analytical approach. Both methods have obvious applications and not so obvious limitations. Continue reading

#92 – GOING STALE – UMBERTO TUNESI

Umberto Tunesi pixI read a joke in a popular crosswords magazine that goes something like this: an aged lady walks on a seaside and sees an aged painter splashing colors on a board.

She asks him what the splashes are meant to be and the painter answers that he has not the faintest, he does it just to spend his time.

The lady comments: “You are lucky; my husband is retired, too, and he spends all his days lying drunk.” Continue reading

#92 – SUPPLY CHAIN HYPER TRANSPARENCY – KELLY EISENHARDT

Kelly EisenhardtDetermining how to collect compliance and sustainability data from suppliers has been an on-going challenge for brands and retailers for many years. With an ever-changing business environment and an expanding list of global regulations, companies face pressure on numerous fronts. Data collection tools that are cost-effective and efficient can help minimize risk and confusion. Continue reading