The programme starts with a two-day Operations workshop, outlined below; this is followed by a day in-house, working with the key Operations Team, or ‘Flight Crew’, who will lead the implementation.

If you have ever struggled to meet delivery deadlines or achieve a fast, trouble-free flow through your factory and thought "there must be a better way!" - then this workshop will be an excellent stepping stone to making that better way a reality in your manufacturing or Maintain & Repair (MRO) environment. The workshop uses computer simulations, exercises and case studies to present a clear picture of the problems found in the typical manufacturing or MRO plant, and explains both why these problems exist, and what can be done to solve them.

Day 1:

Using an interactive, simulated production plant we attempt to manage fast flow within the operations environment and analyse why such management is so difficult when using conventional, non-Theory of Constraints (TOC) methods and measurement systems:

• Why is the lead time so long?
• Why is the Due Date Performance < 70%?
• Why are we not making money?
• Why are expediting all the time?
• Why are we constantly re-scheduling?

And this is in an idealized fictional plant with people working a full eight hour day, five day week, suppliers supplying when asked, a market demand that is fixed and known in advance and no problems related to quality or machine breakdowns, so what is happening? Why are we unable to make a profit even in such perfect circumstances? We analyse this, and introduce the following:

• The TOC response: 'Drum-Buffer-Rope'
• The lessons to be learnt from Dr Goldratt's seminal book 'The Goal'
• The Five Focusing Steps

Day 2:

This builds on the lessons of Day One in order to work through the process of constructing robust schedules for any plant configuration. You will learn how to run the simulated plant at its optimal level and will understand exactly what factors have made the difference.
Comparison between the runs shows a process of improvement which works by focusing on the key aspect of the business - the constraint - which acts as the real lever for enhancing performance.

• Learning how to align the other key functions within the workshop or manufacturing environment such as planning, purchasing, engineering and QA
• The importance of mapping the value stream
• Assessing the current position through the use of the Lean Scorecard
• Working through the steps necessary to implement Drum-Buffer-Rope into your organization

Day 3:

This is a full day, spent on-site with the core Operations Team, or 'Flight Crew', covering:

• Developing the Flight Crew and ensuring they have the necessary knowledge and understanding to lead the implementation
• The key steps in the implementation
• Developing the outline implementation plan
• Where to start tomorrow

Leading the Operations Team: Venue & Dates

The workshop will be held at our Training Centre in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, UK and will be delivered by Theory of Constraints expert Ted Hutchin.

These dates show the two-day workshop that starts the programme but please note that the workshop can also be arranged a bespoke basis. The third day will be arranged in consultation with the Flight Crew.

• 6th & 7th August 2012

The fee is £900 plus VAT per person.

To book a place, please contact Diane Jeary on 01664 502860 or via email:

If you would like further information about the Leading the Operations Team programme, please contact course leader Dr Ted Hutchin:

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