Project planning presents the first opportunity to identify and address bottlenecks and constraints. We have to be a little careful in using the term “constraints” in the construction and planning industry, because this is also a term of art in the world of scheduling. When creating a schedule, the scheduler or planner can set a time constraint on an activity. For instance, a SNE constraint requires that an activity can “Start No Earlier” than the date specified by the scheduler. Because of the algorithmic limitations of CPM, constraints must be used to hold a date later than the calculated early start date. While each of these constraints should be considered in light of a TOC project evaluation, they are only one small aspect of the application of TOC in construction projects.

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Goldratt’s theory is comprehensive – it holds the overall project to a higher standard. In TOC, the ultimate measure of system effectiveness is throughput. What is throughput?  It depends on the organization’s goals. For a manufacturing company, throughput is how efficiently product has been designed, produced, and sold and paid for, and at what cost. For a professional services firm, the equation is a little different, because in the world of professional services, the work cannot be produced and sold, but the consultants are inventory (a very costly asset when not productive, or, more cruelly, meat with an expiration date at the butcher counter).

In the world of project management and construction, there are multiple layers in which TOC can and should be applied. The project management process itself has its own constraints and bottlenecks which must be managed in order for the process to be efficient and effective. Design and construction processes also need to incorporate TOC into their work. Within the design element of a project, the functional design of the building should be envisioned with an eye towards maximizing throughput for the end user. This element of the construction process is the most advanced when knowingly or unknowingly applying TOC. Think of the design of a hospital. Efficiently and effectively caring for patients involves designing a workplace that, among other things, minimizes the physical distance of staff from patients, but has hallways wide enough for two gurneys to pass each other in the hallway. Also, the spread of infection is a constant and growing threat within medical facilities; Iatrogenesis, bariatrics, and other scary words are all important considerations in designing a hospital.

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The AEC industry is famous for declaring that they are not like a factory, and you can’t apply the same standards to the unique combination of structural engineering and art that typifies the highest calling of our industry. Poppycock! Horse feathers! Building a building is a project. The best projects rely on processes. Processes have bottlenecks.