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How can you use the theory of constraints to improve team problem solving?

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The theory of constraints (TOC) is a management approach that helps identify and overcome the most limiting factors that hinder a system from achieving its goals. It can also be applied to team problem solving, as teams often face challenges that prevent them from finding and implementing effective solutions. In this article, you will learn how to use the TOC to improve your team problem solving skills, by following these four steps:

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Aaron Smith

I Teach Leaders how to Build Better Games through Production Mastery. Follow me for posts on Game Development &…

1 Identify the constraint

The first step is to identify the constraint, or the bottleneck, that is slowing down or blocking your team's progress. This could be a resource, a process, a skill, a rule, or any other factor that limits your team's performance. To find the constraint, you can use tools such as the current reality tree, the cause-and-effect diagram, or the five whys. The constraint is usually the root cause of the most critical problem your team is facing.

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Aaron Smith

I Teach Leaders how to Build Better Games through Production Mastery. Follow me for posts on Game Development & Production
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As with most processes I'd try to keep this simple. Map every step in the entire process from end-to-end with your team. Color-code things based on the current difficulty level for the team (ie red means this is a major pain) Have each discipline that interacts with that part of the process spitball an average time they spend interfacing with this part of the process daily/weekly. My experience is that this basic "value-stream mapping" exercise takes a couple of hours and you'll walk away with a very clear idea on where your bottlenecks are and where to focus effort. Remember: your system only moves as fast as it's slowest component.

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2 Exploit the constraint

The second step is to exploit the constraint, or to make the most of the limited factor, without adding more resources or changing the system. This means maximizing the output or efficiency of the constraint, and minimizing any waste or idle time. To exploit the constraint, you can use tools such as the drum-buffer-rope, the throughput accounting, or the load balancing. The goal is to increase the flow of value through the constraint.

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3 Subordinate everything else

The third step is to subordinate everything else, or to align the rest of the system to the constraint, and support its optimal performance. This means prioritizing and scheduling the activities and tasks that depend on or feed into the constraint, and reducing or eliminating any conflicts or distractions. To subordinate everything else, you can use tools such as the thinking processes, the harmony cloud, or the conflict resolution diagram. The goal is to create a smooth and balanced workflow around the constraint.

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Aaron Smith

I Teach Leaders how to Build Better Games through Production Mastery. Follow me for posts on Game Development & Production
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There is an important cultural point: As a leader, you must reinforce to your team that resolving issues for "the team" or "the system" always takes precedence over an individual's work. Each individual must look for where the system is being bottlenecked and ask, "What can I do to help us all succeed and create value? That behavioral shift will affect every decision your team makes daily, beyond simply your priorities as a manager. This is a huge win for your team and customers.

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4 Elevate the constraint

The fourth step is to elevate the constraint, or to remove or mitigate the limitation, by adding more resources or changing the system. This means investing in or improving the capacity or capability of the constraint, and creating more flexibility or scalability. To elevate the constraint, you can use tools such as the future reality tree, the transition tree, or the strategy and tactic tree. The goal is to achieve a breakthrough in performance and reach your team's goals.

By using the theory of constraints, you can improve your team problem solving skills, by focusing on the most impactful factor, optimizing its performance, aligning the rest of the system, and creating a continuous improvement cycle. This will help your team achieve more results with less effort, and overcome any challenges that may arise.

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Aaron Smith

I Teach Leaders how to Build Better Games through Production Mastery. Follow me for posts on Game Development & Production
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The Theory of constraints contains a handful of straightforward lessons on human systems that will serve you for the rest of your career. While there are many tools and methods around this, I've found that hiring team members who behave as stewards of the system (not just their work) and strategically think about value for the customer will bake this into their decision-making every day. This is worth its weight in diamonds. Ensure you're asking behavioral/experiential-based (tell me about a time when you...) "theory of constraints" questions during the interview process. -See how they act when their teammates are struggling. -See how they act when QA is constantly overloaded. Do they keep pushing through more work?

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How can you use the theory of constraints to improve team problem solving?

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2

3

4

5

1 Identify the constraint

2 Exploit the constraint

3 Subordinate everything else

4 Elevate the constraint

5 Here’s what else to consider

Team Facilitation

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How can you use the theory of constraints to improve team problem solving?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Identify the constraint

2 Exploit the constraint

3 Subordinate everything else

4 Elevate the constraint

5 Here’s what else to consider

Team Facilitation

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