Explorer Field Sheet 01

Find the Constraint

Observe one ordinary period. Record evidence before proposing a solution. Nothing entered here is stored or transmitted.

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1. Define the flowWhat useful result are you following? Where does this work enter, and when is it complete for the customer?2. Record the evidenceWhere does work wait or pile up? What repeatedly gets interrupted, restarted, corrected, or expedited?3. Identify the dependencyWhich person, resource, decision, or piece of information must act before work can continue?4. Test the constraintIf demand increased 20% tomorrow, what would fail first? If this resource gained one hour, would the whole system complete more useful work?

Visible symptomLikely constraint

5. Design a small experimentWhat reversible change will you test? What do you predict will happen?

6. Choose the measure

Use the same measures before and after the experiment.

StartsCompletionsUnfinishedWaitsPriority changesBeforeAfter

Do not ask whether everyone stayed busy. Ask whether the system completed more useful work with less waiting.