VSM tutorial: look for WIP and inventories first

Inventories and WIP are important levers to accelerate flow, but they're not alway properly documented in Value Stream Maps. Why take a closer look to WIPs and inventories? Inventories and WIP are tied capital, just waiting Inventories and WIP require handling, transportation, management... Inventories and WIP fill containers and space (surface, volume) The spreading of … Continue reading VSM tutorial: look for WIP and inventories first

Scrutinizing and improving a Current Reality Tree (video tutorial)

In this video, I scrutinize and suggest improvements on a Current Reality Tree (CRT) found on the Internet. A logically sound CRT is key to convince audience about the robustness of the analysis and the reality of the causes to the trouble. If there is room for doubt or the logical has flaws, chances are … Continue reading Scrutinizing and improving a Current Reality Tree (video tutorial)

You are probably wrong when identifying your bottleneck

Things moved on since Eli Goldratt’s revealed Theory of Constraints through his business novel and bestseller “the Goal”. Most of today’s processes are more complex than 30 years ago: supply chains are stretched over the globe, new products are launched more frequently and batches are changed more often, among others. Thus identifying the bottleneck or … Continue reading You are probably wrong when identifying your bottleneck

What is an Executive Summary Tree?

An Executive Summary Tree is not another type of tree in the Thinking Processes tool box, but a concise, condensed form of a Current Reality Tree or Future Reality Tree for presentation to executives. Bill Dettmer got used to make short, concise briefings to general officers in his career in the military. Their civilian counterparts, … Continue reading What is an Executive Summary Tree?