About this Presentation
There are two types of constraints: Tactical Constraints that are the current constraint, and Strategic Constraints that fit the three strategic questions about the system’s resources. TOC mainly focuses on tactical constraints. TOC identifies the system’s bottleneck and manage it properly, usually by using the Focusing Steps. Then there are the three strategic questions about the system’s Strategic Constraints/resources: 1. Where should the constraint be? 2. Where is the constraint now? 3. How to move the constraint to the right place? This presentation suggests that: a. When the resources are relatively inexpensive we should thrive for a market constraint, i.e. provide excess/protective capacity to the system. b. Where the resources are relatively expensive, the constraint should be the most expensive or rare resource. c. You should start your analysis by analyzing the system by its strategic constraint, and use the Focusing Steps at that stage. By using these three rules one can get much better and faster results. We will practice the use of the methodology on the 2020-2021 COVID 19 pandemic in Israel.
What Will You Learn
To help you get the most value from this session, we’ve highlighted a few key points. These takeaways capture the main ideas and practical insights from the presentation, making it easier for you to review, reflect, and apply what you’ve learned.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals faced different levels of demand, from exceeding 110% in peace times to exceeding 400% in tsunami times, creating bottlenecks in the system.
The unified focusing steps can help identify and address the current and true constraints in the system, helping to manage the system more effectively.
Different situations require different methods of constraint elevation - evolutionary methods for non-urgent situations and disruptive methods for high urgency situations.
Instructor(s)
Boaz Ronen
Boaz Ronen is a Professor Emeritus of Technology Management and Value Creation at Tel Aviv University, The Coller School of Management. He holds a B.Sc. in Electronics Engineering, an M.Sc. and Ph.D in Business Administration. Prior to his academic career, he worked for over 10 years in the Israeli Hi-Tech industry. He has consulted to numerous corporations, healthcare organizations and government agencies worldwide. He was a visiting professor at the schools of business of leading universities worldwide. Prof. Ronen has published over 100 papers in leading academic and professional journals, and co-authored four books on Value Creation, TOC, Focused Management, Health Care management, Costing and Pricing and Decision Making. In 2012 his work "Justice in Time: Applying TOC to Law Courts Systems" (with Shimeon Pass and Shany Azaria) won the Dr. Eliyau M. Goldratt Foundation prize. In 2016 he was awarded by TOCICO for his life time achievement in recognition of significant contribution to the TOCICO community to advance the TOC body of knowledge. . He holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemistry from the Technion, Haifa, and from the Weizmann Institute, Israel, and an MBA from Tel Aviv University, the Coller School of Management. Working in the past for IBM in the ERP group, Mr. Pass has also specialized in the implementation of advanced managerial methods to enterprise information systems. Mr. Pass specializes in applying Focused Management and TOC in R&D organizations and project management. His papers on value creation and performance improvement appeared in leading practitioners and academic journals. Oxford University Press published his book on healthcare management. His book, "Focused Management: Doing More with Existing Resources" was published by John Wiley & Sons. In 2012 his work "Justice In Time: Applying TOC to Law Courts Systems" (with Boaz Ronen and Shany Azaria) won the Dr. Eliyau M. Goldratt Foundation prize.
Ms Alka Wadhwa
Alka Wadhwa is an experienced consultant and process improvement expert with over 24 years of expertise in the Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean Six Sigma, and organizational performance optimization. She has successfully led projects in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing, driving significant improvements such as a 67% boost in hospital operations and a 140% increase in outpatient visits.
Previously, Alka Wadhwa spent 17+ years at GE Global Research Center, where she led initiatives to enhance various GE businesses through advanced technologies, process redesign, and system optimization. Founder of Better Solutions Consulting, LLC, she specializes in using TOC, Six Sigma, and data analytics to streamline operations and build high-performance teams.
Her work has earned her multiple accolades, including the Empire State Award of Excellence in healthcare.
Dr Gary Wadhwa
Dr. Gary Wadhwa is a Board Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon with extensive experience in the field. He completed his Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery training at Montefiore Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, and has served as an Attending at prestigious institutions like St. Peters Hospitals, Ellis Hospital, and Beth Israel Hospital in NY. With a career spanning over two decades, he was the former CEO and President of a group specialty practice in NY from 1994 to 2015. Dr. Wadhwa holds an MBA from UT at Knoxville, TN, and has undergone additional training in System Dynamics at MIT, Health System Management at Harvard Business School, and Entrepreneurship and healthcare innovations at Columbia Business School. Committed to expanding access to Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery care, he is currently engaged in a meaningful project to provide healthcare services to underserved populations in inner city and rural areas through non-profit Community Health Centers.