The thinking processes in Eliyahu M. Goldratt‘s theory of constraints are the five methods to enable the focused improvement of any cognitive system (especially business systems). The purpose of the thinking processes is to help answer questions essential to achieving focused improvement:
| Question | Sufficient Cause (“If … then …”) | Necessary Condition (“In order to … we must …”) |
| What to change? | Current Reality Tree (CRT) | |
| What to change to? | Future Reality Tree (CRT) | Evaporating Cloud (EC) |
| How to change? | Transition Tree (TRT) | Prerequisite Tree (PRT) |
Each of these five thinking processes is supported in Vithanco by a dedicated Domain.
The thinking processes were described by Goldratt as a sequel to the first TOC novel (“The Goal“) by the Name “It’s not luck“. Lisa Scheinkopf refers to the development process of the thinking processes in the first chapters of her “Thinking for a Change” book.
A more thorough rationale is presented in What is this thing called Theory of Constraints and how should it be implemented by Goldratt.
There is a multitude of material regarding the TOC TP. I will add some better examples here over time:
- TOC ICO: TCO TP Basics Workshop (Vicky Mabin)
- www.lomag-man.org/normes/normes_isa/documents/2002-05-ISAD12.ppt