« Theory Of Constraints » (TOC), est le nom donné à une série de techniques de résolution de problèmes et d’aide à la prise de décision créée par le Docteur Eliyahu M. Goldratt dans les années 1980. La TOC n’est ni l’objet de recherches, ni de publications en France. La centralité du concept de contrainte est l’aboutissement d’un processus qui a conduit E. M. Goldratt d’une première posture mécaniste sur le fonctionnement des organisations à une perception systémique dans laquelle ce concept occupe une place prépondérante. C’est l’irruption de ce concept dans le domaine de l’organisation qui va initier le développement de la TOC. La description des expériences menées pendant une période de trois années sert à contextualiser les usages des éléments de la TOC. La description de l’expérimentation fournit de nombreux éléments de réponses à nombre de nos questions de recherche et permet d’évaluer les apports potentiels, mais aussi les limites des pratiques managériales mobilisées. / Theory Of Constraints (TOC) is the name given to tools and techniques dedicated to problem solving and decision making created by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt at the beginning of the 1980s. It is clear that there are neither research, nor publications in France on TOC. The concept of constraint is the outcome of a thinking process which lead E. M. Goldratt from a mechanistic posture on operations in organizations to a systemic perception in which this concept dominates, like in mathematics or linear programming. Experiments for 3 years within a French midsize company lead to the contextualization of the usage of TOC elements. They provide a lot of answers to our research questions and allow the assessment of potential contributions, but also of limitations of TOC management approaches mobilized.

Knowledge translation describes the process of getting knowledge into practice, leading to a healthy workforce and economy. Knowledge translation is particularly challenging at the primary healthcare level, which manifests as a research to practice gap. This research aimed to explore and describe knowledge translation from both a knowledge translation organisation’s and knowledge user’s point of view at the South African primary healthcare level. A qualitative dominant, mixed methods approach was used. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine organisations to evaluate their knowledge translation strategies. An online survey collected responses from primary healthcare workers to assess their knowledge needs and preferences. Lastly, the Thinking Processes of Theory of Constraints were applied to the public sector to identify ways in which knowledge translation can be optimised within the Department of Health system. This research found that the organisations’ strategies were inextricably linked to the knowledge translation context. Barriers to knowledge translation in the public and private sector as well as urban and rural areas differed in many respects. Organisations were successful in overcoming many of these barriers, but barriers that reside at the Department of Health (DOH) policy level, remain difficult to address. The 82 survey respondents were mostly doctors from the urban private sector. They represented a distinct subset of practitioners who preferred using the internet to access knowledge and identified no significant barriers to staying up to date. The Thinking Processes identified possible solutions to getting new DOH guidelines into practice in a fast, reliable and coordinated manner. This requires increased collaboration between knowledge translation organisations and the DOH as well as the design of a system for updating the DOH guidelines on an annual basis. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / ccgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

D.Phil. (Leadership in Performance and Change) / The desire for organisational competitiveness as a result of factors such as the changing and increasing needs of customers, deregulation, the globalisation of the economy and work, the increasing competition due to globalisation, the need to control costs and increase efficiency, as well as the fast pace of technological advancement, has compelled organisations to embark on changes that take place at a fast and ever-increasing rate. However, it was noted that organisations are not at all succeeding in implementing and institutionalising change initiatives effectively. There is a high failure rate in the implementation of transformational change efforts, and this is attributed to the fact that managers are not well-equipped to deal with challenges associated with the implementation of transformational changes in organisations. As a result of the high failure rate in change implementation, there had been a number of empirical studies conducted, which investigated reasons behind this low success rate. Unfortunately very few studies have focused on the human side of transformational change. Most of the researches have dwelt more on the technical side of change. This quantitative study was then conducted in order to identify and explore the elements and dynamics of transformational change, which can be regarded as constituting the human dimension of transformational change. Specifically, the main objective of this study was to determine the extent to which the elements and dynamics of transformational change (that is, perceptions, reactions, experiences, personal impact, and organisational impact) relate to the status of the change process. This research adopted a two-pronged approach, which incorporated a literature study first, and thereafter an empirical study. The literature study contextualised the elements and dynamics of transformational change within the Correctional Services environment. An overview of transformational change in the Department of Correctional Services was also provided. Based on the results of the literature study, a theoretical model, which hypothesised the relationships between perceptions and experience on one side, and the status of change on the other, was developed and empirically tested. The empirical data was collected by means of two survey questionnaires – one for correctional officials and the other for offenders, which were administered to 1000 correctional officials and 500 offenders. Methodologically, the study was guided by an exploratory, survey, descriptive, correlational and explanatory research designs, which were underpinned by ontological and epistemological perspectives. All completed and returned questionnaires were computed to analyse the responses of the respondents. The results of the analysis of data showed that the DCS change was characterised by positive perceptions; positive, negative and introspective-anxious experiences; negative responses in terms of emotional reactions and resistance; negative personal impact at intrapersonal and interpersonal levels; and positive organisational impact as the key aspects of the elements and dynamics of transformational change. The discussion in this thesis revolves around the above-named elements and dynamics of transformational change. Through performing exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, a three-factor measurement model which encompassed perception, experience and the status of change, was identified and confirmed. The structural equation modelling found that both perceptions and experiences were the predictors of the status of change.

The project portfolio management process is characterised by a series of stages and gates where a project needs to pass the set criteria at that given point in order to continue to the next phase of the process. In this paper it is postulated that project portfolio management, in a multi-project environment, suffers from a core problem referred to as the release-problem. The release-problem serves as the catalyst that causes seven undesirable effects to occur within the project portfolio management environment. These undesirable effects lead to delays that hamper the rate of work the system is able to complete, complicates managerial decision-making and jeopardises the four desired outcomes of project portfolio management. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) / MSc / Unrestricted

It is expected from highly technical first line supervisors to manage an underground coal mining production unit and to reach stretched targets when they have very little operational management skills. A myriad of operational management philosophies are available that were not developed for a mining environment as such. These philosophies are focused on company level implementation and not on production unit level. To be used in the mining production unit is therefore necessary to adapt these philosophies. The first line supervisor needs an operational management business model that will assist and guide him/her in managing the production unit in order that production, cost and quality targets can be achieved. The first line supervisor must also be able to adapt quickly to changing requirements. The answer lies in the application of current world-class operational management philosophies to the management of the coal mining production unit. In the thesis an operational management model to assist the first line supervisor is derived from current operational management philosophies. The research approach that was followed is: -- Current world-class operational management philosophies were investigated. -- The management philosophies to be analysed in detail were identified as Total Quality Management, Just-in-Time and Theory of Constraints. -- From these philosophies the key elements to be used in the development of an operational management model for an underground mining production unit were determined. -- These key elements were used as building blocks to develop the mining model. -- The developed model was illustrated utilizing real data from a production section. The developed mining model provides a framework for managing the production unit on a day-to-day basis, but with a long-term vision. To achieve this a strategic and operational level exist in the model, with different focus areas. The purpose of the strategic level is to focus the unit on the requirements of the customer, and to plan for a longer time horizon. The operational level assists the first line supervisor in managing the day-to-day operations of the production unit. The model also provides tools to continuously monitor and improve the performance of the unit. For any new initiative to be successful proper planning, training and an implementation plan are necessary. The planning phase includes change management and creating awareness of the mining model. Training consists of various training modules, presented over the implementation period. Each production unit that is introduced to the mining model follows a predetermined implementation plan with constant feedback on the progress made. The support from top management is actively demonstrated during the implementation period. A phased in rollout of the mining model is prescribed, i.e. not all production units will be introduced to the model at once. The research highlighted the similarities that exist between the three operational management philosophies, leading to a cohesive set of building blocks for the mining model. Where differences between the three philosophies existed the most appropriate approach was selected, based on the evaluation of the elements. This highlights the impact that the evaluation process has on the design of the mining model, and forces one to scrutinize the process for ambiguity and partiality. This is one area where the research can be refined. It is suggested that a cross-functional team is used in the evaluation and design process. To conclude, the mining model developed and illustrated provides the coal mining company with a tool that will assist a highly skilled technical first line supervisor with operational management practices based on world class operational management philosophies. / Dissertation (MSc(Industrial Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Industrial and Systems Engineering / unrestricted

South Africa endorsed a world trade accord ratified in Geneva on December 13, 1993. To promote world economic growth, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) aimed to slash duties on 8000 categories of manufactured goods. Tariff barriers have declined significantly and are now approaching trivial levels (Hill, 1999, p163). Unfortunately, South Africa is ranked near the bottom of the World Competitiveness Report (Cheales, 1995, p8). Increased foreign competition has caused many South African companies to search for techniques that will improve their overall performance. Unless these techniques can be identified and implemented timeously, some companies may fail to remain competitive. This research addresses the lack of awareness in the Eastern Cape (SA) and utilisation of two techniques used successfully in the USA (and elsewhere in developed countries) namely, Constraint Management and simulation. The overall objective was to develop a method of convincing industry management of the benefits of the two techniques. The approach adopted was to use simulation to prove Constraint Management. To achieve this objective a comprehensive literature survey was performed to determine the logic of each technique and the associated benefits. The next step was to determine the levels of awareness among industry practitioners and managers. Managers, engineers and academics were requested to complete questionnaires in order to determine awareness and utilisation of each technique as well as factors that prevented the application of both. The simulation modeling process was examined in order to verify the logic of simulation and a model of a manufacturing system was developed. Constraint Management principles were then applied to the model in a series of experiments. This process was then developed into a manual that could be used to address the lack of awareness and utilisation of both Constraint Management and simulation. The manual was tested on a group of BTech students and industry practitioners in order to establish whether its use would be effective in raising awareness, understanding and utilisation. The outcome was positive and it was established that this technique was effective.

The thesis is focused on improving project management in the environment of the company. In addition to the topic of project management the thesis focuses primarily on the theory of constraints and uses its tools, which help in finding and subsequent removing of the found problems in the system. The thesis has several objectives. The first goal is to provide a sufficient theoretical basis not only for project management, which is analyzed in the practical part, but also the theory of constraints and its tools. In the first part of the thesis is adequately explained the principle of the theory of constraints. There are also clear way described the tools for identification of key issues and proposals for their elimination. Second goal is to verify the theoretical tools described, based on the theory of constraints, in practical usage in the study of undesirable effects in the selected company. The third goal is to use tools of the theory of constraints and mapping the current status and the proposal to eliminate the problems found. These tools are the present reality tree, the evaporating clouds and the future reality tree. The outputs from this analysis are specific recommendations for improving project management within the company. The overall benefit is the practical application of the tools in practice and usage of the findings of this thesis for improving of the current situation. By application proposed conclusions of this thesis should be eliminated current problems and improve the performance of the company. With regard to sufficiently sophisticated theoretical part in project management, the theory of constraints and its tools, the thesis can be as a valuable guide to the improvement in other companies.

This thesis deals with the application of the methodology LEAN and TOC to solve the problem of low capacity of fabric cutting machine. The aim of the thesis is to apply LEAN and TOC methodology to propose solutions for continuous improvement of cutting process. To solve the problem itself is used mainly principle of five focusing steps, which is based on the theory of constraints and which is described in the theoretical part of the thesis. The theoretical part also introduces some methods and tools of lean management, which are already in place in the company BOS Automotive Products CZ, s.r.o, also their specific applications are demonstrated. During research was identified a potential source of continuous improvement. This source are data that constantly sends cutter during operation. In conclusion are summarized results and suggestions for improvement based on the used principles and recommendations for further improvement.

The aim of thesis is implemention the chosen techniques of lean management in the company named European Trailer Systems Ltd. based on the identification of bottlenecks. The theoretical part provides basic definitions of bottleneck, Theory of Constraints, Lean management and selected methods of lean management. The practical part begins with the company's European Trailer Systems s.r.o characteristic while describe the current situation. Furthermore, the practical part will focus on the identification of bottlenecks that occur in company European Trailer Systems Ltd. in the production process of sliding roofs, will be followed by a proposal to eliminate found bottlenecks with using methods of lean management and possibly their implementation.

O agronegócio brasileiro é responsável por uma parcela considerável da produção mundial de alimentos, sendo as frutas, especialmente as citrícolas, as que apresentam maior consumo. Neste contexto, as laranjeiras representam 55% da área cultivada de citros. O estado do Rio Grande do Sul (RS) é o sexto maior produtor nacional de laranja, onde é possível identificar na cadeia produtiva a presença de todos os elos, tais como fornecedores de insumos, produtores de mudas, produtores de frutas, indústrias de produção de suco, dentre outros. Muitos são os gargalos que impossibilitam uma coerência e estruturação na cadeia de produção dessa cultura já que a plantação é predominantemente familiar e desenvolvida em pequenas propriedades e o escoamento é feito em grande parte para os intermediários e não para a indústria. O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar as principais restrições existentes nos elos da cadeia produtiva da laranja no RS do ponto de vista dos “atores chave” através de uma pesquisa qualitativa do tipo exploratória descritiva. Os participantes, escolhidos por amostra não probabilística e por conveniência, foram "atores chave" do elo produtivo (produtores rurais), comercialização (intermediários) e processamento (indústrias) da cadeia produtiva da laranja. A coleta de dados foi realizada por entrevista semiestruturada nas propriedades rurais, em feiras hortícolas e nas indústrias processadoras. As entrevistas foram organizadas, analisadas e interpretadas com auxilio do software QDA Miner 4.0. Em conjunto com a análise interpretativa temática, o pesquisador valeu-se também da Teoria das Restrições. A possibilidade de pensar nos problemas de maneira lógica e sistêmica, no qual a teoria das restrições está baseada, reduz a necessidade de adivinhação na interpretação dos resultados, estabelecendo uma coerência no crescimento da cadeia, correlacionado os “atores chave” e identificando os entraves de maior impacto. Conclui-se através da caracterização dos “atores chave” a importância de cada um para a cadeia produtiva da laranja. A partir dos dados primários foram identificadas as restrições - Mercado, Logística, Capacitação e Incentivos Governamentais - que mais obstruem o crescimento na produção da fruta no RS e suas causas. Perceberam-se, também, semelhanças quanto às perspectivas dos “atores chave” na cadeia produtiva da laranja. Portanto, torna-se necessário integrar os atores - agricultores, intermediários, indústria, poder público, órgãos de extensão rural, universidades e centros de pesquisa, para que possam propor e executar ações concretas que venham a modificar o atual cenário da produção de laranja no RS. / Brazilian agribusiness is responsible for a considerable portion of the world food production, and fruits, specially citrus fruits, are those with the highest consumption. In this context, the orange is the main species in citrus culture, corresponding to 55% of the cultivated area. The state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) is the sixth largest producer of orange in Brazil, where is possible to identify in the productive chain the presence of all the links, such as input suppliers, seedling producers, fruit growers, industries of juices, among others. Many are the bottlenecks that preclude consistency and structuring of the orange supply chain, since the plantation is predominantly familiar and developed on small farms, and the flow is made largely for intermediates and not for the industry. The aim of this work was to identify the main restrictions in the production chain of orange in RS from the point of view of the "key players" by means of a qualitative descriptive exploratory research. The participants, selected by non-probabilistic sample and convenience, were "key players" of the productive link (farmers), marketing (intermediate) and processing (industries) of the production chain of orange. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interview conducted in farms, in horticultural fairs and industries. The interviews were organized, analyzed and interpreted with QDA Miner 4.0 software. Along with the thematic interpretive analysis, the researcher also made use of the Theory of Constraints. The possibility to think about the problems in a logical and systemic way, in which the theory of constraints is based, reduces the need for guesswork in result interpretation, establishing coherence in the chain growth, correlating the "key players" and identifying the obstacles of greater impact. We conclude that all the "key players" are of fundamental importance for the productive chain of orange in RS state and by primary and secondary data it was possible to characterize these actors. From the primary data the constraints - Market, Logistics, Training and Government Incentives - that most obstruct the growth in fruit production in RS state and their causes were identified. In light of these questionings, similarities regarding the perspectives of the "key players" in the orange production chain. Thus, it is necessary to involve the actors able to modify this setting - farmers, intermediaries, industry, government, agricultural extension agencies, universities and research centers, so they can propose and execute concrete actions that change the current scenario of the orange production in the state of RS.