Theory of Constraints (TOC)

Core principle: Every system has exactly one constraint limiting its throughput at any moment. Improving anything that is not the constraint is waste. Find the constraint, exploit it, then repeat.

The 5 Focusing Steps

Step 1: Identify the Constraint

The single bottleneck — the resource/process/step with least capacity relative to demand.

How to find it:

• Where does work pile up? (queue buildup = upstream of constraint)
• Where is there idle time? (downstream — starved for input)
• What does everyone wait on? (often "that one person" or "that one step")
• What's the longest step in the value stream?

Signal: Constraint = where WIP accumulates and delays originate.