The document discusses concepts from Lean and Theory of Constraints that can help improve process development. It explains that bottlenecks limit overall throughput and outlines five steps to identify and address bottlenecks through exploitation, subordination, and elevation. Maintaining low work-in-process and balancing demand to the bottleneck capacity can help optimize flow. Classifying work into service levels can also aid in prioritizing and managing workflow.

1. Vad trafiken i
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utvecklingsprocess
Håkan Forss - hakan.forss@avegagroup.se - @hakanforss

2. Håkan Forss Lean/Agile Coach
Håkan Forss - hakan.forss@avegagroup.se - @hakanforss

10. Little’s Law
Work-in-Process
Cycle Time =
Throughput

11. Little’s Law
12
1 min =
12 / min

12. Little’s Law
6
0,5 min=
12 / min

13. Little’s Law
24
2 min =
12 / min

14. 20 sec
40 sec
• With less Work-In-Process
– Shorter cycle time
• Better time to market
• Faster feedback
– Makes problems visible faster
– Are we working on the right things

15. Theory of Constraints

18. Improve

19. 1. Identify the constraint
2. Exploit the constraint
3. Subordinate to the constraint
4. Elevate the constraint
5. If in the previous steps a constraint
has been broken, Go back to step 1
Don’t allow inertia to cause a system constraint.

22. Capacity = 6 Capacity = 4 Capacity = 6
Throughput = 4
• You can never go faster than your bottleneck
– The capacity at the bottleneck will dictate the capacity of
the complete process

23. Capacity >= 4 Capacity = 4 Capacity = 6
Throughput = 4
• You can never go faster than your bottleneck
– As long as capacity in front of the bottleneck is equal to or grater than the
bottleneck you will go as fast as your bottleneck
– Full use of a higher capacity in front of the bottleneck will make cycle time
go up

24. Capacity = 6 Capacity = 4 Capacity >= 4
Throughput = 4
• You can never go faster than your bottleneck
– As long as capacity is equal to or greater after the bottleneck you will go as
fast as your bottleneck
– Higher capacity after the bottleneck than at the bottleneck will not improve
throughput over time

25. 1. Identify the constraint
2. Exploit the constraint
3. Subordinate to the constraint
4. Elevate the constraint
5. If in the previous steps a constraint
has been broken, Go back to step 1
Don’t allow inertia to cause a system constraint.

29. • Bottleneck at the end of the process
– Work is backing up
– Slowing down the process
– Cycle times goes up

32. • Bottleneck at the beginning/middle of the process
– Work is drying up at the end of the process making
workers idle

36. • Non-instant availability resource
– Looks like a bottleneck

37. • Non-instant availability resource
– A resource that is not available all the time
– Has required capacity but is not instantly available

40. 1. Identify the constraint
2. Exploit the constraint
3. Subordinate to the constraint
4. Elevate the constraint
5. If in the previous steps a constraint
has been broken, Go back to step 1
Don’t allow inertia to cause a system constraint.

41. • Exploit your bottleneck
– Bottlenecks should only work on bottleneck activities
– Do whatever you can to make your bottleneck 100% utilized
– Try your hardest to avoid problems at you bottleneck
– Time lost at the bottleneck is time forever lost for the process

42. 1. Identify the constraint
2. Exploit the constraint
3. Subordinate to the constraint
4. Elevate the constraint
5. If in the previous steps a constraint
has been broken, Go back to step 1
Don’t allow inertia to cause a system constraint.

44. • Subordinate to your bottleneck
– Do what you can to always have work for the bottleneck
– Do what you can to avoid passing defects on to the bottleneck
– Sub optimal performance for non bottlenecks can be accepted

45. • Subordinate to your bottleneck
– Try to use you over capacity to alleviate the bottleneck of non bottleneck
work
– Sub optimal performance for non bottlenecks can be accepted

46. 1. Identify the constraint
2. Exploit the constraint
3. Subordinate to the constraint
4. Elevate the constraint
5. If in the previous steps a constraint
has been broken, Go back to step 1
Don’t allow inertia to cause a system constraint.

48. • Elevate your bottleneck
– Expand the capacity at the bottleneck
– Expensive as it usually will use bottleneck resources

49. 1. Identify the constraint
2. Exploit the constraint
3. Subordinate to the constraint
4. Elevate the constraint
5. If in the previous steps a constraint
has been broken, Go back to step 1
Don’t allow inertia to cause a system constraint.

51. 1. Identify the constraint
2. Exploit the constraint
3. Subordinate to the constraint
4. Elevate the constraint
5. If in the previous steps a constraint
has been broken, Go back to step 1
Don’t allow inertia to cause a system constraint.

52. Balance demand to flow

53. Wishful thinking
Demand = 6 Capacity = 4
• Balance demand to flow
– Capacity at the bottleneck will dictate the capacity of the process
– Balance your demand to a continuous flow through the bottleneck
– Higher demand than capacity will increase cycle time

55. • Balance demand to flow
– An even flow can stabilize the process
– Low work-in-process
• Keeps cycle time down
• Makes bottlenecks visible faster

57. • Slow down to go faster
– Slowing down can stabilize the process flow
– A stable process can go faster

59. Classes of Service

61. • Classify work in different classes of service
– Use for prioritization of work
– Help manage flow
– Common classes: Standard, Expedite, Fixed Delivery Date, Intangible

64. Keep work-in-progress low
• Keeps cycle time down
• Makes bottlenecks visible faster
Use Theory of Constraints to improve
• Use five focusing steps to improve
• Eliminate one bottleneck at a time
Balance demand to flow
• You can’t go faster than the bottleneck
• Use work-in-progress limits
Classify work in different classes of service
• Use for prioritization of work
• Help to manage flow

65. Håkan Forss
Mail: hakan.forss@avegagroup.se
Twitter: @hakanforss
Blog: http://hakanforss.wordpress.com/

66. Recommended reading
Håkan Forss - hakan.forss@avegagroup.se - @hakanforss