Executive Decision Making Workshop-
Linking Operations & Sales with the Theory of Constraints

As you know, the bottleneck WILL move. In this workshop, we deal with the issue of what to do WHEN it moves. Many people do not realize the heart of ToC is not maximizing the constraint, but CHOOSING where the constraint SHOULD be! So in this workshop, we deal with the broader issues of managing an enterprise the ToC way in order to synchronize, not just the machines, but the policies and functions of the entire business.

We'll be addressing these questions and more:

• How can you be proactive about moving the constraint?  Your team will be in a position to strategically design operations and sales plans to maximize profitability.
   
• How to prevent the bottleneck from moving where you DON'T want it to be?  Of course, planning is only part of generating results - your team will learn powerful techniques for managing the execution of your carefully made plans - even when there is a great deal of uncertainty - to ensure you grow profitably and systematically.
   
• What happens when the plant is no longer the constraint?  Your team will learn breakthrough techniques to increase sales - even in a market where you offer commodity products.
   
• How can you manage the sales and marketing practices to make the best use of production capacity?  You will learn how to develop sales strategies to maximize the use of your capabilities; squeezing the most profit from your investments.
   
• How can I use S-DBR?  I am going to show you a simple, powerful way to plan and execute production/operations plans that results in excellent on-time delivery performance - without complicated software.

This compelling three-day workshop will show you how to develop and execute an integrated strategy to improve profitability.

It is designed for executive level decision makers who want to learn how to develop integrated business strategies that take into account:

• Uncertainty in the sales forecast
• Uncertainty in supplier performance

In this powerful workshop you will learn, using the Theory of Constraints approach, how to develop and execute an integrated strategy that leverages plant capabilities and market opportunities. You will discover how to make the sales plan, the production plan, and the sourcing plan “dance” instead of fight as you grow revenues and profits. You will identify and resolve typically unnoticed difficulties that can interfere with integrating a successful supply chain strategy. Using a case study approach, you will have hands-on opportunities to try various strategic approaches and test their validity. This will pay off with a clear understanding of what process should be followed.

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to develop a business strategy that counteracts uncertainty. You will learn a defined process to analyze your current situation and develop an integrated strategy to guide the organization towards your objectives. You will be able to consistently move your organization to increase profitability regardless of the condition of the market.

Course Methods

This workshop is taught using the business case method and simulation.  It begins with the problem of an unprofitable business; how to move it from a loss to profitability?   There is quite a bit of uncertainty in developing and implementing a strategy, so a process is learned to take the correct actions while considering this uncertainty, increasing the likelihood of success.  As the workshop progresses, different elements of uncertainty and complexity are introduced to create a comprehensive approach to business and supply chain strategy.