The right solutions start with the right questions:
- How to maximise production flow?
- How to identify bottlenecks (constraints) in the production process?
- Which resource has the longest queue of pending tasks?
- Which resource most often causes delays?
- Which resource has the lowest capacity?
- How to maximize bottleneck utilization?
- How to ensure that the bottleneck is working at full capacity?
- How to minimize bottleneck downtime?
- How to optimize production scheduling with respect to the bottleneck?
- How to subordinate other resources to the bottleneck?
- How to ensure that other resources do not produce more than the bottleneck can handle?
- How to synchronize the work of other resources with the bottleneck?
- How to increase the capacity of the bottleneck?
- Can the bottleneck be improved, expanded or replaced?
- Can some tasks be moved to other resources?
- Can some activities be outsourced?
- How can a new bottleneck be avoided when an existing bottleneck is removed?
- How to identify potential new bottlenecks?
- How to continuously improve processes and prevent new bottlenecks?
- How to measure and evaluate management effectiveness?
- What metrics to use to measure flow, inventory and operating costs?
- How to monitor the impact of changes?
- How to ensure continuous improvement?
- Are we able to think of production as a whole?
- How do we change the mindset?
- How to overcome entrenched paradigms?