Theory of Constraints expert Dr Ted Hutchin has a great deal of experience when it comes to giving insightful, professional and entertaining presentations on a variety of business topics. Over the last three years he has presented at the regional meetings of numerous professional bodies, including:

• Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
• Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
• Institute of Operations Management (IOM)
• Association for Project Management (APM)
• Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
• Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
• Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
• Institution of Engineering & Technology(IET)

Audience feedback from some of Dr Ted Hutchin's recent presentations.....

The following programme outlines give an overview of the kind of topics Ted can address in short-lecture format (generally 1 to 1½ hours), but please bear in mind that presentations can be tailored to meet professional bodies' particular needs:

The Right Choice - Leading and Sustaining Organisational Change
Issues in Maintain & Repair (MRO)
Demand Driven Supply Chains - Challenge or Opportunity?
Why Inspirational Leadership Matters
Making the Case - ensuring your presentation gets the buy-in!
Taking Project Management to a New Level
Leading New Product Development
Measurements & Making Money - not the same thing!

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Please e-mail Diane Jeary or telephone on 01664 502860 if you would like further information or wish to engage Ted to speak at your event.

A downloadable version of our Speaker Programme is available here

To view Ted's future presentation engagements, please click here

Many Ted's past presentations are available to download - please click here to see the list.

The Right Choice - Leading and Sustaining Organisational Change

This session introduces the core concepts contained with Dr Hutchin's latest book, "The Right Choice - Using Theory of Constraints for Effective Leadership". Key questions covered include:

• Why is it so critical to make the right choice today?
• How do I make sound choices for my organisation or for my team?
• Can I do the same for my own life?
• How can I inspire my personnel so they buy-in to the changes we need to make?
• How can I maintain the impetus and enthusiasm for change?

Part of the session will draw on some of the case studies contained within the book and will show why Dr Hutchin developed a new approach to managing the execution of the strategic and tactical decisions within any organisation, which focuses on bringing people with you - painting the compelling picture that engages with people and allows them to choose to engage rather than be forced to do so. This approach centres on the creation of dynamic teams - "Flight Crew" - which are crucial in sustaining the direction of the organisation towards its goal.

Issues in Maintain & Repair (MRO)

MRO remains one of the most challenging areas for leading and managing operations today. Whether it be an RAF fighter plane, a London Underground train, a commercial aeroplane engine or a component vital to a major civil engineering plan, the critical nature of being able to return equipment to service applies in all cases.

The end-user organisation of the item being sent for MRO only makes money when the item is in service, thus any time spent waiting for equipment to be serviced and made ready for return is a real cost to that organisation. Yet many MRO facilities still have long lead times, constantly changing priorities, unexpected demand from the market and many other problems on a regular basis.

This session, drawing on first hand experience of defence, civil, transport and healthcare environments, sets out a radical shift in running an MRO facility through the use of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) applications 'Critical Chain', 'Drum - Buffer - Rope' and 'Replenishment'. Dr Hutchin will also use case studies from the Department of Defense in the USA and show how the fusion of TOC, Lean and DMAIC can deliver both real gains to the bottom-line and significantly improved levels of service to the end user.

Demand Driven Supply Chains - Challenge or Opportunity?

Supply chains using the Theory of Constraints (TOC) application called 'Replenishment' are able to streamline the overall operations activity to enable faster transfer from raw material to market. This strategy is incorporated into the Demand Driven MRP approach which has recently gained substantial prominence worldwide. In this presentation, Ted will demonstrate how the using the Demand Driven / TOC approach for both operations management and supply chain management delivers straight to the bottom-line and can provide effective solutions for these common supply chain questions:

• Why do products that take just a few minutes to make and a few days to transport often take several months to reach the client?
• How can the gap between shortening Customer Tolerance Time and lengthening Supply Chain fulfilment time be closed?
• Can the frequency of production and delivery be increased?
• Can production be synchronised with the pattern of demand?
• What are the win-win gains you can build around closer co-operation throughout the supply chain?

Time will also be given to recognising the impact that the wrong metrics can have on performance, costs and behaviour when managing supply chains in today's highly competitive environment - metrics that often lead to the typical bi-modal distribution across SKUs that are endemic in almost all supply chains, i.e. too much of what I don't need right now and not enough of what I do need!

Why Inspirational Leadership Matters

If ever there was a time to invest in our people it is today, if ever we needed to tap into that unique body of knowledge that every company has, it is today; but to do so requires inspirational leadership. Developing people is all about allowing them to flourish, to make mistakes, to learn and then teach others what they have learned. It is about enabling people to be themselves, to make their unique contribution to the well-being of the organisation, to feel part of the organisation, engaged with and valued. This is the focus of this session, and it carries a message that many senior managers need to hear.

At a time when many organisations are facing huge challenges, where the only difference between themselves and their competition is the calibre and knowledge of their people it is folly - and a terrible waste - to regard the workforce simply as an expense item, something to be filed under “expendable”.

This presentation focuses on how leaders can inspire their workforce and unleash talent by following simple yet effective methods which are designed to clarify purpose, improve communication, align systems and gain workforce buy-in.

Making the Case - ensuring your presentation gets the buy-in!

Steve Jobs was quoted as saying that if you need PowerPoint, you don't know what it is you want to say..... That might be a bit extreme for some, but -

• Have you ever argued strongly for a case but failed to communicate it?
• Have you ever been so distracted by someone's annoying mannerisms that you found it impossible to concentrate on their message?
• Have you ever suffered Death by PowerPoint?!
• Why is speaking to a group so apparently life-threatening - when it needn't be?

There are many occasions when it is necessary to present a case in order to gain approval. This can apply in all manner of aspects within almost all types of organisations, and yet how often have you sat through the most boring of presentations and lost the plot for what was actually a great idea and perhaps one critical to the well-being of the organisation?

This session looks at some obvious errors in making presentations, learned the hard way by the presenter!! It will cover a few issues such as why PowerPoint is not always the greatest way to communicate an argument, why the way you deliver is as much to do with non-verbal communication as verbal, and why sometimes the result is not what you might have expected, but, given the process of communication, was exactly what your presentation deserved!

Taking Project Management to a New Level

Bringing projects in on time, to the right specification and to budget remains as challenging today as it has ever been. Using the Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) approach has a proven capability in almost all types of project environment and yet remains largely ignored in the UK. Whilst our competitors in other countries embrace CCPM we in the UK still put our faith in the old 'tried and tested' - but often not very effective - methods of project management.

CCPM is underpinned by the same foundation of core project management skills as found in PMBOK, but the development of the CCPM approach over the past twenty years has taken led to a transformation in terms of results to the bottom-line and vastly improved resource management.

Basing the presentation on his own practical experience of implementing CCPM throughout Europe and the USA, Dr Hutchin will highlight the use of CCPM in a wide range of industries and show that those seeking to achieve a far higher level of project effectiveness can adopt this approach with confidence.

Leading New Product Development

Today, a product launched late is both a financial and business disaster. Many companies simply do not recognise the damage to the business that being late really causes. And those that do spend large sums of money usually in the wrong area and on the wrong things! However - as the example of companies such as Seagate shows - Fast Time to Market for new products is a winning strategy.

This presentation will demonstrate how Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) raises the bar for Fast Time to Market. CCPM is a logical advance from critical path and is very much in line with accepted procedures such as those enshrined within the PMBOK. However it also asks new, and vital, questions about resources and network planning. In execution it uses buffer management to give clarity and focus to any interventions that take place. Typically, we are able to show that implementing CCPM and, in particular, addressing resource overload due to multi-tasking can lead to 30-35% more productivity from existing resources.

Based on his own practical experience of implementing CCPM throughout Europe and the USA, Dr Hutchin brings the conceptual ideas to life and allows you to consider the benefits for your own organisation. The session will include a brief overview of how to integrate product development into the overall strategy and tactics of the organisation and the use of the "Flight Crew" concept to deliver that strategy.

Measurements & Making Money — - not the same thing!

Times are difficult at the moment: there is huge pressure to cut costs, to try and control what cash there is, yet still make a profit and keep customers happy. At the same time many people have realised that simply carrying on as before will not work; there has to be a change in how things are done, and perhaps the direction as well.

This raises the question of how we are measuring progress towards the goal (making money) and the decisions we take that enable progress towards the goal. The last 20 years have shown the need for a different way of making decisions and measuring progress. Some 15 years ago, Throughput Accounting was developed to offer a sound financial basis for both measurement and decision-making.

This presentation will introduce Throughput Accounting in a clear and easy to understand way, using case studies and a simple exercise for everyone to try. Just how does Throughout Accounting work? How does it differ from other approaches? How might it make a difference to the decisions you need to make in order to secure the future of the organisation? These and other questions will be discussed and you will leave knowing more about how Throughput Accounting could change the way you make decisions.

Please e-mail Diane Jeary or telephone on 01664 502860 if you would like further information or wish to engage Ted to speak at your event.

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