Discussion 1: Resource Management

While working as a machinist at the Midvale Steel Company in the 1880s, Frederick Winslow Taylor observed the operation and began thinking about how to organize it for better efficiency. Soon after earning his engineering degree in 1883, he left Midvale to become a consultant to prominent companies about scientific management. Taylor's ideas about efficient production were widely influential (Mee, 2013).

Like Taylor, today's managers also have to find effective strategies for managing resources. As you review the articles "Bottleneck Management: Theory and Practice," "What's Constraining Your Innovation?" and "The Bottleneck Conundrum: Breaking Up Logjams Can Be Key for Process Plant Production," consider how companies manage their constraints, along with their physical and human resources. Additionally, as you complete the Coins and Dice Game: Theory of Constraints media simulation, consider the performance of the entire system and the complexity of balancing constraints.

Think of a company with which you are familiar that faces one or more serious constraints in its operations. If you are not familiar with such a company or are not able to discuss its operations due to confidentiality requirements, identify a different example through research in the business press.

Post by the following:

A brief description of the company you selected

A description of one or more constraints that might impact the company's performance (Make sure you identify each constraint's location within the organization.)

An explanation of why each constraint could be difficult to identify and difficult to correct (Justify your response.)

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Coins and dice game: Theory of constraints