Theory of Constraints and its Thinking Processes

Process - A Healthcare Analogy

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) applies the cause-and-effect thinking processes used in the hard sciences to understand and improve all systems, but particularly, organizations. The process a clinician applies to treating a patient is an excellent analogy for explaining how TOC recommends going about solving a systems problem. If we were to describe the overall process used by a clinician treating a patient it would look something like:

1. Diagnosis: Knowing the futility of treating the symptoms, a clinician begins with a list of observable symptoms and uses cause and effect to seek out the underlying common cause for all of them, the “disease” or core problem.

2. Design of a Treatment Plan: Considering the uniqueness of the patient and his/her diagnosis, a treatment plan is developed that first and foremost treats the disease. (e.g., surgery), but also suggests what other things must be done alongside that “cure” to ensure the treatment will work (e.g., pain relief and bed rest) and that the best possible health is restored to the patient (e.g., physical therapy). In this process, any potential side effects of the treatment are identified, and the means for preventing or mitigating them become key elements of the treatment.

3. Execution of the Treatment Plan: Taking into consideration, the uniqueness of the patient’s situation, a plan is developed for how to implement the treatment (e.g., surgery and pre-op work are scheduled, arrangements for transportation to and from the hospital are secured, hospital beds to be used at home are ordered).