The Dice Games
These fun and highly educational games allow the individual to gain a deeper understanding of how complex systems behave. Through a series of progressive games, an individual learns how to identify the key leverage points or constraints and expose the underlying inherent simplicity. Used by universities around the world, these games have proven to be a practical learning tool on undergraduate and masters degree programmes as well as many leadership and management development programs.
1. The standard dice game
2. The manager's game
3. Reducing system variability
4. Finding the weakest link
5. Implementing drum-buffer-rope
6. Dealing with batched arrivals
Dice Game 5
Implementing drum-buffer-rope
The Theory of Constraints' drum-buffer-rope approach is used in this game to try and improve flow
Once the slowest step has been identified it is used as the "drum beat" to set the speed of entry into the system. A buffer is maintained to ensure the slowest step always has something to process.
Dice Game 6
Dealing with batched arrivals
In this game the Theory of Constraints' buffer management approach is used to deal with various patterns of arrival.
In some systems the input to the system is not continuous but rather arrives in batches. How does this behaviour affect the Drum-Buffer-Rope approach to control?