• You really want to find a root cause which is limiting your system from growing.
• You want to do the above exercise without bias and with deep thinking keeping an open attitude.
• You want to prepare a logical relationship between the problem and its effects on various functions / people in your organization so as to get clarity yourself and enable you to explain to same to all other concerned logically – You want to get buy in from others.
• You want to find that core strength of your organisation which will be a competitive edge for your company.
• You want to figure out in a logical and an unbiased manner a solution to your problem and the road map to achieve it.
• You want to know upfront what obstacles you might face in implementing the solution.

If you want to apply TP, you need to be willing to learn. Moreover, you must be willing to recognise, verbalise and challenge your own assumptions. Be prepared to discard your own assumptions and long-held beliefs…

Why TP?

‘The TOC thinking processes provide us with an aid to better and clearer communication with each other and between our ears (thinking). In an age where agility has quickly become the key to competitiveness, the ability to learn – to generate knowledge – is a true competitive edge. The TP provide a systematic approach to increasing our capability to learn faster and deeper than ever before.’

What is TP?

The TP consists of five application tools which answer three basic questions

• What to change?
• To what to change?
• How to cause the change?

Application tools

Current Reality Tree (CRT) is created to identify a core problem. By articulating the undesirable effects, the causalities that exist among them and a core problem the serves to keep the undesirable effects, as they are the Current Reality Tree answers the question – What to Change?

Evaporating Cloud helps to identify a system conflict that is perpetuating the core problem, to brainstorm the solutions to the core problem, and to select initial elements of the solution.

Future Reality Tree (FRT) helps to create a robust solution to the core problem, eliminating the undesirable effects and blocking undesirable consequences.

Prerequisite Tree (PRT) is used to determine the necessary conditions for implementing the objectives (from the FRT) and the sequence in which they should be implemented.

Transition Tree (TRT) defines the specific action plans for accomplishing the necessary conditions and objectives of the PRT.

What are the benefits of TP?

• Clarity
• Unbiased and logical approach to solving any problem
• Logical way of getting Buy in to the problem and its solution

For more details and greater understanding on Thinking Process please visit
www.goldratt.com or www.chesapeak.com