Author: andreaslandman1

The Goal – The Beginning of the Theory of Constraints

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The Goal was the beginning for me. The lecturer, at the USB SDP**, read The Goal to the class in two days, and we played the dice game.
 
 
 
Eliyahu M Goldratt and Jeff Cox wrote the original edition of The Goal in 1984. The Goal has sold several million copies in several languages, including Japan. The Goal is available in e-format, audio formats, movie and as “A Business Graphic Novel“.
 
The Goal lays the foundation for a significant part of the body of knowledge of the Theory of Constraints. The first question we must ask is,
 
“What is the Goal of the system?”
 
Once we know what the goal is, we can define a measurement system and embark on a process of ongoing improvement.
 
The Goal summarises the Process of Ongoing Improvement as:
 
  1. IDENTIFY the system’s constraint(s).
  2. Decide how to EXPLOIT the system’s constraint(s).
  3. SUBORDINATE everything else to the above decisions.
  4. ELEVATE the system’s constraint(s).
  5. WARNING!!!! If in the previous steps a constraint has been broken go back to step 1, but do not allow INERTIA to cause a system’s constraint.
 
The Goal also puts a wooden spike through the evil of cost accounting. Johnson and Kaplan declared cost accounting dead in their book Relevance Lost, 1987:
 
Corporate management accounting systems are inadequate for today’s (Septemeber 1986) environment. In this time of rapid technological change, vigorous global and domestic competition, and enormously expanding information processing capabilities, management accounting systems are not providing useful, timely information for the process control, product costing, and performance evaluation activities of managers.
 
 
 
The Goal also gives the definitions for the Throughput Accounting parameters:
 
 
 
Throughput is the rate at which the system generates money through sales.
 
Inventory is all the money that the system has invested in purchasing things which it intends to sell.
 
Operational expense is all the money the system spends in order to turn inventory into throughput.
 
 
 
Throughput Accounting allows managers to make managerial decisions. These decisions yield real system results.
 
 
 
The Goal explains the generic solution for operations. In operations statistical variation and dependent steps exist. We refer to the worst statistical variation “Murphy”. The Drum-Buffer-Rope solution applies to many systems – especially to scouts on a hike.
 
I have much to learn about the Theory of Constraints and something to teach. I will return to this subject again.
 
 
** I want to thank the University of Stellenbosch (USB) and Bridgestone Firestone South Africa for exposing me to the Senior Management Development program and The Goal.
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Inspiring Education

#Inspire

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Crystal Garden. Crystals in a glass jam-jar with a string hanging from a pencil over a blue-green liquid (mainly copper sulphate for those who want to know). Later Quartz crystals in the real garden. Eventually, molecular shapes on a computer screen in space filling, ball and stick and stick forms. An old scholar’s fascination with snow crystals. Metal crystals! All these, but the first foremost, lit the chemistry candle in me.

 

I have attempted to light a similar candle in my kids. They appreciated the sodium-phosphate-crystal-growth kit – the biggest crystal I have ever produced. They were the talk of the school when Edith (my wife) helped them produce the biggest borax crystals in class. My young ones have other loves and they live out their unique identities. Good for them.

 

My youngest was as fascinated by the molecular diagrams in the Rubber Bible (CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics). Looking at the diagrams again, re-awakened my desire to investigate these molecules with molecular modelling software. These models will form the basis of a book of shapes – but much later. My youngest pointed out that the one molecular shape resembles a mouse, then there was the human face, dog, flying balloon and many others. I don’t know whether this is a failed Rorschach test or looking at clouds with imagination. You decide.

 

I still wish to light the chemistry candle in other young ones. So, I have compiled an elementry (yes, I know a spelling mistake) book: Elementary Science: Alphabet, Numbers, and Shapes (Elementry Science Book 1) (now I got the spelling right). The book shows the alphabet using the elements. J, Q and W are not covered. Yes, tungsten does exist, but I do not want to confuse a child by making them believe that W is pronounced “T”. Counting using alkanes is easy enough to do and molecular shapes cover simple geometries.

 

So, what am I saying: “See if you can spark the love of your favourite subject in the young ones around you.”

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aragonite-fluorite-cflu02c
Photo by Wiki Commons showing real green octahedra

 

 

Education

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Today the bulk of the South African 2018-matriculants received their final school report. I value education. Education is important.

Others are writing about the quality of the education the matriculants received. Others are questioning the real value one should attribute to the matriculation certificate.

I am not going to add to the above debates.

I want to refer you to another topic – predicting the future. The Star published an article entitled 35 years ago, Isaac Asimov was asked by the Star to predict the world of 2019. Here is what he wrote on the 27th of December 2018. In this article, Asimov writes profoundly, as he usually does:

Education, which must be revolutionized in the new world, will be revolutionized by the very agency that requires the revolution — the computer.
Schools will undoubtedly still exist, but a good schoolteacher can do no better than to inspire curiosity which an interested student can then satisfy at home at the console of his computer outlet.
There will be an opportunity finally for every youngster, and indeed, every person, to learn what he or she wants to learn. (sic) in his or her own time, at his or her own speed, in his or her own way.
Education will become fun because it will bubble up from within and not be forced in from without.

Asimov’s prediction has largely come true – for post school studies. Adults have access to a multitude of cheap or partially free life-long education. Kids can access this material as well and they surely spend a lot of time on YouTube.

That the education system (that I know of) is still as rigid as it was decades ago, saddens me. The education system largely enforces uniformity and often blocks curiosity; for the larger portion of learners.

I support Asimov’s vision of how education should have been by now. I support reading widely or deeply (depending on the child’s interest) even more.