Theory of Constraints (TOC)

1. The theory of constraints is a management philosophy that contends that manageable systems and processes are limited from achieving their goals by one or more identifiable constraints. The TOC process seeks to identify the constraint(s) and restructure the business operations around the constraint(s). Business process improvement using theory of constraints anticipates the use of five focusing steps to work around the constraint, including identifying the constraint; taking organization?wide measures to exploit, leverage, or eliminate the constraint; and then verify that the process is working. A method of optimizing a process when faced with limiting factors and bottlenecks.