Bottleneck: a resource whose capacity is equal to or less than the demand placed upon it. 

Non-bottleneck: a resource whose capacity is greater than the demand placed on it.

Because bottlenecks are the constraint in the system, if you waste any time o...

In a warehouse setting, throughput, inventory, and operating expenses are proxy metrics that represent net profit, return on investment, and cash flow, the three levers of a business.

Throughput: the rate at which the system generates money through sales.

• Identify the system’s constraint.
• Decide how to exploit the system’s constraint.
• Subordinate everything else to the above decision.
• Elevate the system’s constraint.
• If in the previous steps a constraint has been broken, go back to step 1, but do not allow iner...

In business, you have three primary levers – net profit, return on investment, and cash flow. You want all three levers to move in the right direction. A common mistake is optimizing for one of these metrics, which may inadvertently make one or both of the other metrics go in the...

Utilizing a resource means using a resource in a way that moves the system toward its goal. Utilizing a resource is a productive action.

Activating resources means using a resource, whether or not there is benefit from the work its doing. This explains why ...

Although the 5-step process above can work in any organization, the exact details and application must be tailored to the specific circumstances and challenges in your organization.

The constraints that you face may not always be physical. There could also be intangible constraints, such as...

At its core, manufacturing is a series of dependent events. Ensuring the right interaction between these dependent events is essential for the success of the manufacturing business.

To improve in manufacturing, you must optimize for the entire system, not just a local area. The reality is t...