mgmt. ch. 7 constraint theory

constraint

any factor that limits performance & output

bottleneck

a point of congestion or restricted capacity in a workflow or production system that slows down the entire operation and limits overall output

theory of constraints (TOC)

system that focuses on activley managing constraints that impede a firms progress towards a goal. - Key factors include balancing flow, constrained resources, wasted time & inventory

throughput time

total elapsed time form start to finish of a job or customer processed

line balancing

assignment of work to stations in a line to reach desired output rate w/ the smallest # of workstations

work element

smallest units of work that can be performed indpendently

immediate predecessors

work elements that must be done before the next element can begin