Whether it’s project bottlenecks, multiple competing priorities, or unclear decision-making, constraints are inevitable in product development. They move from one place to another, popping up capriciously along the chain of interdependencies, ultimately restricting your entire organization’s output.

You can’t get rid of constraints completely, but what you do about them can spell the difference between outright loss and off-the-chart gains.

Building on the renowned, acclaimed, and sometimes-controversial Eli Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints (TOC) — "Applying Constraints Management to Product Development" — provides detailed case studies, hands-on guidance, and explores how to strategically redirect resources and harness the critical chain. Internal resources (time, money, people) and external market factors (customer needs, competition, industry dynamics— including e-business) will both be addressed.

The summit features Dr. Eli Goldratt leading a half-day discussion of Theory of Constraints in a systemic, enterprise-wide context. Dr. Goldratt will also be available throughout the two-day summit to provide feedback and insight.

The leaders in applying TOC to design and development will share their stories here for the first time. Until recently, most TOC success stories have taken place in the production world. These advanced practitioners (from Lucent Technologies (Bell Labs), Elbit Systems, Seagate Technology, Ford Motor, and others) who have experienced the hurdles — both technical and cultural — of TOC as well as other resource and constraints management approaches, will share specifically what they did to achieve astounding bottom-line improvements. Facilitated working sessions on 1. Multi-project Management, 2. Critical Chain (Single Project), and 3. TOC for Determining Product Concept Viability, will give you a running head-start toward your own organization’s breakthrough results and profitability.

The heart of this unique program is the deep exchange of practical "how-to-get-it-done" details and the linking of project management to product portfolio and pipeline decisions. The purpose is not to introduce you to the concepts, it’s to help you implement them successfully — specifically in a product development organization.