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The Theory of Constraints is a management approach that emphasizes the importance of identifying the “system constraint” or bottleneck. It defines a set of tools that project teams can use to manage constraints, thereby increasing profits.

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) was developed by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt (Eli Goldratt) and was introduced in his landmark book “The Goal.”

While, TOC focusses on contraints (the “weakest links” in the system), Lean thinking focuses on the notion of value. The objective of both continuos improvement methodologies is to increase profit. Lean is aimed at cost reduction by eliminating waste and steps that do not add value to the customer. TOC on the other hand attempts to move away from cost reduction by focussing on throughput improvement. Throughput is the rate at which the organization generates money through sales.

Drum Buffer Rope (DBR) is a scheduling and planning tool which considers that any system has at least one contraint. This constraint controls the output for the entire system. It’s the drum, setting the beat for delivery. Buffers of time protect the drum from disruption. The rope ensures that all other resources are timed and scheduled to support the drum.

Througtput accounting is accounting based on TOC principles. It differs from traditional accounting in that it views accumulating inventory as a bad behavior, and cutting costs as less important than selling goods. The primary focus is to maximize throughput while minimizing inventory and operating expenses.