Introduction to TOC Lean Six Sigma (TOC LSS)
Two-Day Workshop

Overview
In difficult economic times, in fact in any economic time, the pressure to improve is intense. Executives and managers face many challenges: increase sales, reduce costs, avoid lay-offs, move inventory, accurately forecast future demand, rapidly find and develop the next market breakthrough and the greatest of all, SURVIVE! They’re asking, “What will help my company the most? ... What do I do first? … Where can I have the greatest impact?”

Many organizations invested in gaining expertise in one of three separate pillars of improvement – TOC (Theory of Constraints), Lean or Six Sigma. In most cases, company experts spent significant time mastering one of these three and then devoted additional efforts trying to show return on the investment in their training. As other methodologies came along, shifting to using something else came across as another program of the month. But for many, when the objective for all three is to improve the organization’s results, why did it come down to an “either or” mentality? Why did some attempts at integrating the three not show the promised return or end up being integration in name only? Some of the reasons appear to be:

1. The methodologies were viewed as “tools in a tool box”, where each tool was perceived as best at particular uses.
2. Expertise in all methodologies was not available, making true integration impossible.
3. An effective integration process for the three methodologies was not developed.

AGI has led the way in engaging TOC and LSS experts to find the right way to integrate TOC, Lean and Six Sigma – TOCLSS – to achieve bottom line results as part of AGI’s Velocity Approach – the Roadmap to Continuous Business Success. In the Velocity Approach, SDAIS (Strategy-Design-Activate-Improve-Sustain) provides the framework and systematic process to achieve Focused System Improvement beyond what might be accomplished individually with a traditional Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) approach. SDAIS creates Strategy and system Design relying on a constraint based architecture. Improve and Sustain drive the continuous cycle of Focused System Improvement, relying on a TOCLSS based architecture.

Following overviews of each method, this two-day workshop provides participants with an overview of the systematic approach to integrating the three methodologies – regardless of the organizational or operational environment. Understanding the key differences and overcoming the discords allow your organization to use this new approach to take full advantage of the best practices available today.

Objectives

• Understand the TOC basics.
• Understand the basics of the five principles of Lean.
• Understand the Six Sigma DMAIC model.
• Understand the key differences between TOC and LSS, the negative effects that can exist when misalignments are not recognized, and the means to overcome these discords.
• Understand the need for aligning the organization to work in concert with the solution.
• Understand how the Velocity Approach of SDAIS (Strategy-Design-Activate-Improve-Sustain) provides a framework and systematic process to achieve Focused System Improvement for strategic, bottom line results.

Agenda

1. Introduction to TOCLSS
2. TOC Overview
   1. Systems view
   2. Measures
   3. 5 focusing steps applications
3. Lean Overview
   1. Specify the value from the customer view
   2. Identify the steps in the value stream
   3. Create smooth flow
   4. Customer pull value
   5. Pursue perfection
4. Six Sigma DMAIC Overview
   1. Define
   2. Measure
   3. Analyze
   4. Improve
   5. Control
5. TOC/LSS Integration - Common Threads and Discords
   1. Hands-on “variation” simulation
   2. TOC/LSS integration discords
   3. Resolution to TOC/LSS integration discords
6. The Velocity Approach: SDAIS
   1. Constraint-based (TOC) system architecture
   2. TOCLSS improvement architecture
   3. Project selection for bottom line results using the guidelines of SDAIS
   4. Hands-on integration simulation (SDAIS)

Prerequisites/Recommendations
None

Target Audience
Those trying to understand how TOC, Lean and Six Sigma should work; those struggling with how to achieve real bottom line results as part of a supply chain.

Materials Provided
Course Book

Price: $995 per person