Scheduling Beads

A very poor rendering…

Scheduling Lesson Two

Just a quick note: This image is Copilot’s attempt to explain drum-buffer-rope. Very poorly. The good news? Grok did even worse if you can imagine!

This document outlines a scheduling policy and KPI dashboard for a $20M+ book printing operation, using Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) and its evolution, simplified DBR (sDBR). It explains how to define the system’s drum (physical press or order schedule), strategically release jobs, and manage buffers to protect flow and due dates. The proposed KPI dashboard tracks throughput, OEE, buffer penetration, and on-time delivery. At the close, a critique notes the framework’s strong grasp of sDBR principles but highlights gaps in buffer positioning, release decision logic, inventory strategy, KPI depth, and continuous improvement processes. Overall, it is about 75% aligned with TOC best practices. Which we shall attack in Lesson. Three.

In other words, telling your LLM that it is a “Jonah” in Dr. Eli Goldratt’s TOC (Theory of Constraints) is not sufficient. In case you were wondering. BTW, the SKI Man is actually a “Jonah’s Jonah” able to instruct and certify students that pass the intensive course in just six days as a TOC Jonah. Here is the link if you are curious.

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