Theory of Constraints, Lean, Six Sigma Integration

Mark Woeppel is a master of organizational transformation with a lengthy track record of successful turnarounds. He is a recognized expert in the Theory of Constraints, Supply Chain Management, Project Management, and Continuous Improvement. He has earned the founder's implementer certification from the TOC-ICO.

He is an internationally known author, speaker and lecturer on the topics of Theory of Constraints, Drum Buffer Rope, Cost Accounting, Organizational Measurement, and Critical Chain Project Management. He is the author of The Manufacturer's Guide to Implementing the Theory of Constraints, published by APICS/St. Lucie Press, in English, Spanish and Japanese and Projects in Less Time, published by BookSurge in English & Japanese.

On the Business901 podcast, Mark discussed the integration of Theory of Constraints, Lean and Six Sigma and how they significantly improve bottom line results. Mark is the president of Pinnacle Strategies and is located in Dallas, Texas.

Listen to the Podcast

Related Blog Posts:

The Marketing HourGlass

Using your Marketing HourGlass to determine your Constraint

Identify your Marketing Constraint

Technorati Tags: Goal,Lean,Six-Sigma,TLS,TOC,Theory of Constraints

Theory of Constraints + Lean + Six Sigma = Ultimate Improvement Cycle

I was getting to write a blog and was visiting several books I had just completed for some background information. I was distracted and saw that I had a couple of LinkedIn invitations and decided to review them instead. One of the invitations was from Bob Sproull. I stopped a second and looked over at the 2 books on the library table. Yep, I was correct Bob Sproull, author of The Ultimate Improvement Cycle was not only on my library table, but in me inbox as well. Being a marketing guy, I wondered, was this an up-sell! Has the world just gotten this small that as virtual strangers, there can be a connection of interest?

I found Bob’s book looking for the latest material on how the Theory of Constraints was developing. I am sure Bob found me because of my recent blogs on the subject. The likely hood of this development and this connection is highly unlikely, may be as recently as 12 months ago.

What caught my interest in Bob’s book The Ultimate Improvement Cycle is that recently there has been an added push from TOC disciples to bring TOC on an equal playing field as Lean and Six Sigma. I find it interesting because bottlenecks and constraints are an integral part of Lean and Six Sigma training but TOC has never seemed to be on an equal platform.

I had Mark Woeppel of Pinnacle Strategies recently, and he has a whitepaper on this subject. It is available for download on his site. He calls the process TLS, Theory of constraints- Lean-Six Sigma. Bob’s book is the first book I have read that specifically addresses the same subject. They take different approaches with similar outcomes. I enjoyed the material in both and encourage you to read them. You can listen to Mark on the Business901 podcast discuss some of the background on his paper.

The Ultimate Improvement Cycle or UIC makes the contention that without all 3 processes, you will significantly reduce your desired outcomes. Most specifically he addresses the need to work on one constraint at a time and using Lean or Six Sigma to correct the constraint. In theory, I have to agree with him that the constraint must be addresses and am a devout believer of that. He is absolutely right because the weakness of TOC may be in the development of the tools to use to do it. Bob also gives a short primer on each disciple. If you are not knowledgeable in one of the three areas or all of them, I believe it would not be a wasted book. It is not a lean or a six sigma book. It heavily leans, sorry for the pun, towards TOC.

The book is well written, giving you tools, charts and formulas to improve your business without breaking up the flow of the written material. I believe that it will take me several months to fully digest the book. Not that I have to re-read it, but using and putting into practice some of the examples that I will incorporate in my philosophy going forward. I will cite these examples in my blog in the upcoming weeks.

Technorati Tags: Lean,Theory of Constraints,Six-Sigma,TOC,Ultimate-Improvement-Cycle

The Ultimate Marketing System – The Forgotten Pillar

Readers of my blog have read my explanations of the Lean Marketing House and how your Marketing Channels determines your number of pillars and the size of each. You can suffice with just one pillar if it is big enough and strong enough to hold up the roof but the other day I realized that I had forgotten to describe what I will now call the Forgotten Pillar. Continuous Learning in the Lean Marketing House means theUltimate Marketing System. This is a term coined by Duct Tape Marketing and actually includes their workbook and CD's explaining their system. Most marketing plans and systems fail if adequate training is not provided.

Lean Six Sigma Practitioners always realize that the training is what makes the processes work. Without, old habits stay the same and new habits are never developed. Nor are these new habits expanded to the greatest extent. It happens in marketing too. Marketing that works today is all about authenticity, customer touch points and the connection of those touch points. You have to be everywhere, but you also have to be you. Perfect marketing is less important because people really are seeking you. Even from an organization viewpoint, they are expecting a human and personal experience.

How do you go about creating this new wave of marketing in your organization? My advice is that you have to create a continuous learning cycle within your company. This is best done by starting out with a learning system, a structured program and a Marketing coach. This is self-serving to say the least, but it is what I truly believe.

I use the Duct Tape Marketing System as the learning system and the structured program to get someone started. I am not going to go through the entire program, you can do that here, but it will set you on the road to success and provide a foundation for you to build from. Without going through these necessary steps, you will never fully defined your marketing needs and just continue to respond to the marketing idea of the week. I cannot tell you how many phone calls I get weekly a call from an Ad Rep telling me about the next greatest deal. Please take note: It's not about the money, it's about the target!

Now, the coach is pretty important. I am not going to talk about that even Tiger Woods has a coach, you to keep you on track, hold you accountable and all that garbage. I am going to discuss about someone that has been there done that in the real world. I am also going to mention another cliché: Talk the talk and walk the walk. I can only talk for myself, but I will put myself up against any other coach in the sense that I walk my system. I believe in the Duct Tape Marketing philosophies. I practice them. If you think that is not true, just look at my Tag cloud on the left. Look at my Alexa score, Hubspot rating and Twitter feeds. They are better than the vast majority of corporations and certainly better than 99.5% of other coaches and consultants. Why is that? I simply follow the practices that John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing has taught me. Have I added a few tricks of my own? Certainly - Authenticity, Personalization, Differentiation and building your Core Message is what I have learned in my Continuous Learning cycle. What can you gain from that expereince? You will simply short-circuit your learning curve by having a coach on board!

Technorati Tags: Duct-Tape-Marketing,Lean,Lean-Marketing-House,Six-Sigma

Do you have Continuous Learning going on in your Marketing?