On the value of new technology

This is the second installment in a series of posts by Eli Schragenheim on how Theory of Constraints can contribute to the quantification of the value a new technology can bring to new product applications. It builds on the first which covered how to choose a project. The relevancy of the perception of value to [...]

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Problematic decision-making areas in managing new product projects

Employing the generic thinking of the Theory of Constraints, the methodology of scheduling and execution control of single projects has been developed under the name of Critical Chain Project Management.  That methodology also has been expanded for managing multi-project environments.  However, TOC has not, so far, contributed much to other areas of critical decisions regarding [...]

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Can letting go get innovation under control?

Project planning in most organizations consists of identifying all of the tasks necessary to carry out a product development program, assembling them into a plan, estimating the time that each task will require, presenting the plan to management, revising the plan to reflect more aggressive targets requested by management, and then managing the project on [...]

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Should money be your company’s goal?

The Theory of Constraints holds that “the goal” of for-profit businesses is normally to make money both now and in the future. That’s certainly the case for most companies that I work with. But not always – there are successful businesses where money is not the goal. Note here that I’m talking about goals – [...]

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Should everyone innovate?

Recently, a lot of innovation writers and bloggers have been lashing out against “innovation gurus” who claim that everyone inside a company should strive to be innovative. Personally, I’ve always been critical of innovation speakers that come in and try to get everyone in a company fired up about being innovative. Not necessarily because of [...]

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When Constraints Collide

A reader recently emailed me this question and I thought it might be useful to share the discussion: My organization is constrained in both manufacturing and new product development. Since new product projects should be prioritized based on throughput per unit of constrained resource usage (T/CU), how should we handle that prioritization – which constraint [...]

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Checklists don’t work for innovation and one important way you can change that

To some, the idea of a checklist for innovation is ludicrous. How can you use a checklist for something as fluid as new product development – especially when venturing into game-changing or disruptive areas. Of course others are using a checklist already. They just call it stage-gate and then wonder why it doesn’t always deliver [...]

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9 Proven ways to find unmet customer needs

If your organization’s growth is constrained by not generating enough valuable new opportunities, you need to either improve the quantity or the quality of your time in the marketplace (or potential marketplace). Once you are out there, here are nine ways to find unmet needs that you might be able to solve. 1.  Ask people [...]

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Purpose in Innovation

Simon Sinek’s TED presentation, is a must see for any leader and anyone trying to grow through innovation. The presentation, part of the promotion for his book “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action,” is quite simply an explanation of why some companies inspire followers rather than just satisfy customers. Sinek [...]

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What are you feeding R&D?

As you kick-off your growth efforts for this year, have you given any consideration to what you should be feeding the teams in your new product development process? Just as we all need to start the day off with a healthy breakfast and limit our intake of junk food, your new product development efforts will [...]

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