Introduction
The Army’s ability to procure resources is vital for ensuring that its soldiers can complete their tasks. The theory of constraints (TOC) is a civilian approach to examining and improving the SCM. Moreover, TOC is a continuous process that can be used to determine the constraints that do not allow the supply chain to operate to the best of its capacity. This paper will examine the application of TOC in the Army context.
Theory of Constraints in the Army Context
Civilian SCM targets profits, which is why both the theory and practice are well developed and allow to balance the cost and quality. According to Marroitt (2017), civilian supply change management companies work in a competitive environment, which requires them to continuously improve their operations and work on quality and cost reduction, unlike the Army’s SCM. One of the theories used by civilian SCM companies is TOC. Under TOC’s principles, each process within the supply chain has a bottleneck that does not allow the procurement to flow smoothly (Naor et al., 2021). By removing these bottlenecks, the supply chain can operate more efficiently, allowing it to deliver goods within shorter deadlines. Under TOC, commercial organizations should aim to maximize long-term profit, and in the case of the Army, this goal can be to ensure that the cost of resources is sustainable.
Another benefit of TOC is that it is based on continuous improvement. Hence, even if one bottleneck of the SCM was identified and removed, the organization continues to assess its supply chain to find other constraints and remove those as well (Chawla & Kant). This approach allows to adapt to the changing demands and ensure that best practices are used when supplying the goods. Moreover, Ikexiri et al. (2018) state that the TOC theory itself is undergoing continuous improvement. Therefore, the application of TOC allows to ensures that SCM practices are up to date.
One of the principles that guide the TOC is that “a system’s constraint(s) determine its output” (Chawla & Kant, 2017, p. 366). This means that the bottlenecks affect the final result from a particular supply chain. Another aspect of TOC is its applicability towards potential policy constraints, which in many cases are the root cause of a bottleneck (Chawla & Kant, 2017). In the case of the Army, the need to adhere to standards is vital. However, there is a potential of improving the SCM by removing the policies that create unnecessary barriers for procurement. Thus, TOC allows identifying different types of barriers, including physical and policy-related.
Conclusion
In summary, this paper examines the TOC as a potential way of enhancing the military supply chain. This theory implies that in each supply chain, there is a bottleneck that causes the other processes to be problematic. Hence, by applying the TOC principles, one can examine each chain of the SCM and determine potential hazards. Moreover, TOC allows examining different types of physical and non-physical barriers.
References
Chawla, S. & Kant, R. (2017). Application of Theory of Constraints in service type organization. International Journal of Advance Research and Innovation, 5(3), 366-371.
Ikeziri, L. M., de Souza, F. B., Gupta, M. C. & de Camargo Fiorini, P. (2019). Theory of constraints: Review and bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Production Research, 57(15-16), 5068-5102. Web.
Marriott, D. (2017). Using civilian supply chain management best practices to improve army supply chain management procedures. Liberty University.
Naor, M., Coman, A., & Wiznizer, A. (2021). Vertically integrated supply chain of batteries, electric vehicles, and charging infrastructure: A review of three milestone projects from theory of constraints perspective.Sustainability, 13(7), 3632. Web.