This website or its third-party tools use cookies which are necessary to its functioning and required to improve your experience. By clicking the consent button, you agree to allow the site to use, collect and/or store cookies.
Please click the consent button to view this website.
I accept
Deny cookies Go Back

Intelligent Management

Deming and Theory of Constraints for CEOs and Executive Teams for the Age of Complexity. Ess3ntial Critical Chain Project Management

  • THE DECALOGUE METHOD
    • The Problem for Every Business
    • The Systemic Solution
    • synchronize competencies
    • How It Works
    • business insight and foresight through systemic cause and effect reasoning
    • Our Education Modules for Systemic Management
  • about us
    • the founders
    • Dr. Domenico Lepore
    • Intelligent Management Success Stories
    • Our Books
    • Clients
    • Expanding Spiral of Positive Systemic Results with Intelligent Management
  • blog & books
    • Blog Theory of Constraints and Deming
    • Our publications
  • ITALIA
  • Contact
You are here: Home / project management / The Theory of Constraints for Software Development and DevOps (or How to Train Your Phoenix)

May 22 2015

The Theory of Constraints for Software Development and DevOps (or How to Train Your Phoenix)

Screen Shot 2015-05-22 at 10.38.09 AMIntelligent Management Inc. was recently invited by the IT department of a large insurance company to teach them about the Theory of Constraints. They read a recent book called ‘The Phoenix Project’ that points to the Theory of Constraints as a solution for radically improving software development and delivery.  In this post we look at how the Theory of Constraints can come to the aid of IT departments and software development – DevOps.

The Phoenix Project story

‘The Phoenix Project: a novel about IT, DevOps and Helping Your Business Win’  (by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr and George Spafford) tells the story  of an impossible situation, where an IT firm is experiencing a storm of Undesirables Effects; the sky is falling in, IT is about to be outsourced, business lines are going crazy because there are outages, system crashes, chronic delays, etc. Then, all of a sudden, by following the input of a Board member, solutions are found. The message is: IT must evolve, come out of the ghetto and play a much more relevant role in the life of the organization. Very soon, the natural candidate for a COO position will be somebody from IT but it is critical that the IT professionals get a stronger handle on the business processes as well as the value chain and how IT impacts it. In order to do so, IT must learn from manufacturing the basic concepts of standardization and synchronization; embed quality (documentation and testing) in the development phase and schedule according to a chosen constraint (the Theory of Constraints).

So why should IT use the Theory of Constraints?

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) is famous for covering the basic principles of Synchronous Manufacturing (Drum Buffer Rope and Buffer Management). However,  TOC is applicable well beyond the Production Line. The Critical Chain Project Management approach from TOC guarantees fast and reliable delivery of projects based on finite capacity. Over the last 20 years, TOC grew to contain some basic algorithms to manage what is called “instant availability”. The scheduling mechanism for this is called “finite capacity” and it is based on routing and bills of material. It is directly applicable to the chain that links developers-operations-security-QA-Network etc.

The Organization as a Network of Projects

At Intelligent Management, we have been presenting for some years now a new organizational design based on projects. We call it the ‘Network of Projects’. This approach has much in common with DevOps (as well as Agile) that are founded on a view of how an organization should operate. Instead of silos there should be a network; instead of competition for budget allocation, investment should be dictated by  the impact on Throughput; instead of local optima, focus should be on global optima. The mantra of DevOps has a large intersection with TOC: Flow-Quality-Involvement – The Three ways. In order to pursue DevOps and Continuous Delivery (CD) IT must see itself as a system, i.e. a network of interdependent processes/projects aimed at a common goal and with a common set of measures and operational measurements. Building “The common environment” advocated by DevOps implies breaking down the silos within IT. Functions/departments are simply centres of competency and the control structure is built starting from how the work is structured, i.e. as network of projects. Projects are scheduled according to finite capacity and work is released in the system only when resources are available; projects are stacked. “The Network Of Projects” is the natural organizational mechanism that allows DevOps to flourish.

Not just physical constraints

One of the difficulties in shifting organizations towards a more systemic model is that physical constraints are not the only kind: there are also Cognitive constraints that can impede our thinking. The path of transformation towards a new kind of organization and the way to implement this change for the benefit of IT can be mapped out, supported and guided through the Thinking Process Tools from the The Theory of Constraints.

These are exciting times for IT and, with the right thinking and the right method, IT will evolve to be the leading force in the life of organizations.

About the Author

Angela Montgomery Ph.D. is Partner and Co-founder of Intelligent Management, founded by Dr. Domenico Lepore.  Her new business novel+ website The Human Constraint looks at how Deming and the Theory of Constraints can create the organization of the future, based on collaboration, network and social innovation.

Written by angela montgomery · Categorized: project management, Systems Thinking, systems view of the world

Search Form

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Up For Our Systems View Blog!

Fields marked with a * are required.

Search Form

Recent Posts

  • Improving Flow Company Wide – A Systemic Approach Part 9 August 3, 2022
  • Why Your Organization’s Constraints are the Key to Success – A Systemic Approach Part 8 July 29, 2022
  • Working with Variation to Support Good Decision Making – A Systemic Approach Part 7 July 20, 2022
  • Create Stability and Predictability in Your Organization by Understanding Variation – A Systemic Approach Part 6 July 9, 2022
  • Leadership for Complex Times – A Systemic Approach Part 5 July 3, 2022
  • How to Drastically Improve Company Results Through Healthy Interactions – A Systemic Approach Part 4 June 16, 2022
  • How to Make the Best Decisions for Your Company and Measure What Matters – A Systemic Approach Part 3 June 2, 2022
  • Interdependencies and Establishing the Goal of Your Organization – A Systemic Approach Part 2 May 26, 2022
  • Radically Improving Organizational Performance – a Systemic Approach May 18, 2022
  • How to Put an End to Meaningless Meetings: an Operational Process May 5, 2022
  • Time for a Project Management Revolution – PMI Interviews Domenico Lepore April 22, 2022
  • Don’t Get Stuck on the Path to Change – Leverage Your Human Constraint April 17, 2022
  • The Transformational Method Behind an Economic Miracle We Can All Apply April 1, 2022
  • Goldman Sachs is WRONG About Managing Remote Work March 24, 2022
  • Systemic Leaders Who Get the Big Picture – Here’s How March 16, 2022

Social Icons

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

Archives

  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011

Our Blog

  • Improving Flow Company Wide – A Systemic Approach Part 9
  • Why Your Organization’s Constraints are the Key to Success – A Systemic Approach Part 8
  • Working with Variation to Support Good Decision Making – A Systemic Approach Part 7
  • Create Stability and Predictability in Your Organization by Understanding Variation – A Systemic Approach Part 6
  • Leadership for Complex Times – A Systemic Approach Part 5

Recent Posts

  • Improving Flow Company Wide – A Systemic Approach Part 9 August 3, 2022
  • Why Your Organization’s Constraints are the Key to Success – A Systemic Approach Part 8 July 29, 2022
  • Working with Variation to Support Good Decision Making – A Systemic Approach Part 7 July 20, 2022
  • Create Stability and Predictability in Your Organization by Understanding Variation – A Systemic Approach Part 6 July 9, 2022
  • Leadership for Complex Times – A Systemic Approach Part 5 July 3, 2022

Connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Sign Up For Our Systems View Blog!

Fields marked with a * are required.
  • Home
  • Blog Theory of Constraints and Deming
  • Library
  • How to adopt systemic organization management
  • Knowledge Base for ‘The Human Constraint’
  • Contact Us

© 2021 Intelligent Management Inc. Canada

Privacy Policy