Reaching the Goal: How Managers Improve a Services Business Using Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints

4. Resource Management

• State of the Art

• Supply and Distribution Chains

• Demand and Supply in PSTS

• Replenishment for Services

• Skill Groups

• Buffer Sizing

• Buffer Zones

• Buffer Management

• Resource Management Cycles

• Decision Support

• Virtual Buffers

• Skill Group Categories

• Impact of Replenishment for Services

• Summary

• Endnotes

Resource management is a critical function in any labor-based services enterprise. Though equipment, supplies, and facilities may be necessary, they are insufficient without human resources who have the knowledge to use them effectively. Obviously, a hospital is just another building without doctors, nurses, and technicians.

Of course, some services are technology-based. Only a tiny percentage of telephone ...