MGMT 206

Systems Thinking and Decision Making 

2025 Assignment 2

Theory of Constraints

Worth 30% of course marks

Due 3pm, Tuesday May 27, 2025

Part 1. Summary of TOC (1-2 pages) (10 marks)

Provide a brief introduction to the report, incorporating a summary of TOC, outlining the fundamental principles behind TOC, some of the main tools/methods, and how the tools you are about to use fit into the overall methodology. (Since you’re only using a small bit of TOC, the context should briefly mention/describe what else is in the TOC methodology.)

Part 2: Application of TOC

In this assignment, we invite you to identify and analyse ANY situation that depicts a scenario which has one or multiple undesirable effects. The scenario could be from business, politics, sociology, or even one’s personal life. Use the TOC philosophy and Thinking Process(es) to devise some strategies to achieve your own goals, whatever these may be.

In particular:

1. What is your own goal? What are the critical success factors and necessary conditions to achieving it? What necessary conditions or critical success factors are you finding hardest to achieve? Identify the undesirable effects that depict the current situation in a Current Reality Tree.  And what does this imply for where should you focus your effort?        1-2 pages (10 marks)

2. Construct an Evaporating Cloud to portray a dilemma you face in meeting your goal. For example, two or more competing demands on your time/energy/resources, or 2 competing NC’s in your current reality tree. Follow the EC method (surfacing assumptions, developing injections) to suggest promising actions.  2 pages (20 marks)

3. Identify one of the promising injections from your EC, and use the Negative Branch Reservation and/or future reality tree method to identify unwanted side effects/unintended consequences and show how you will avoid/mitigate or prevent them, to achieve a desired outcome. 2-3 pages (20 marks)

4. Choose and state clearly an ambitious target - which could be an upcoming task that’s going to be a challenge, or an injection from the EC that you need to implement to improve your situation, or it could be to achieve your goal - and follow the Prerequisite Tree (PRT) method to devise an implementation plan to achieve your chosen target. 2 pages (20 marks)

Ensure you introduce each tool, explain how to read each diagram, and the main lessons from your analyses. There are marks for each diagram and for the descriptions/narrative.

Part 3: Conclusions/Reflections: Finally reflect on the process you have gone through, and your findings/learning. Comment on the usefulness of TOC for tackling issues around personal productivity issues (your own and other people’s). Also explain how the TP might help you achieve the 3 ‘nuggets’ that Donald Cruz mentions (n the attached motivational item) .                       1 page (10 marks)

Quality of Report Presentation and Writing: (10 marks)

Lay your work out neatly and logically – structure the report so it flows.

Present your diagrams clearly.

Write clearly and concisely – do not ‘pad’ your work or waffle.

Pay attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation as it shows a courtesy to the reader.

Include a list of references and ensure you quote your sources for Part 1 and Part 3 in particular.  

Format

Your report should be around 12 pages of A4 (font size 12 pt at 1 or 1½ line spacing, with good sized margins and gaps between paragraphs).

While the body of the text should be typed, diagrams may be typed or neatly hand-drawn, but must be clearly readable.

Donald Cruz:  Guest speaker at the Victoria Business School Excellence Awards

Good evening everyone!

Each one of us has a purpose why we enrolled in the university. Some aim to get a degree to get a good job and hope to provide a better life for their families; others want to make a difference by offering their service to the community, and some want to upskill and be more competitive in the market.

Regardless what your reasons are for getting a degree, there is always that one question that worries most of the new graduates, “what’s next”?

I was fortunate enough to speak to some of the graduating students before this ceremony started and I can sense the excitement and some worries that they have about life after graduation. The idea of finding a job may daunt or scare you, it is something unknown and uncertain. I have been working in the IT industry for more than a decade now and trust me when I say this…it is a rat race out there, and the competition is cut-throat.  It is going to be daunting, and it is going to be scary! But don’t you worry, as I am sharing with you some nuggets that helped me get through life after university.

The first one is about embracing change.

Fourteen years ago, I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from overseas. I was young back then… full of hopes and dreams. That time, I thought having a degree is enough to get a job. Boy, was I wrong! I did have my fair share of struggles in finding my first employer. Most of the open roles that time didn’t match my skillset as I was not experienced enough to be considered for the positions. I got lots of rejection letters…one after the other.  It was frustrating and it was demotivating.

One thing I realized after graduation is this: having a diploma is not an assurance that you will get your dream job at the first attempt. Potential employers will always look out for three things:

1. Having the right skill set for the job (technical and soft skills)

2. The ability to learn

3. Flexibility - the ability to cope with change

I took feedback from interviewers to learn what gaps I had in my skillset and learned from those inputs. I learned how to embrace change. I went out of my way to develop my skills by attending courses in universities and coaching sessions from volunteer mentors in the industry. I never gave in to my weakness and used it as a driver to become a better version of myself.  

Acknowledging your weaknesses is a very important aspect of personal change. It takes a lot of courage and humility to do it. It is confronting, and sometimes it hurts the ego.

I remember one thing my dad said back in the days “If you want to achieve something in life, the first step is genuinely wanting it… want it really bad, so that you are willing to exert the effort required to get it, even if that means changing your mindset and going out of your comfort zone”, I accepted constructive criticisms and used them as motivation to help me get my first job.

Learning doesn’t stop after graduation. What you know now may no longer be relevant in a few years. Change is a continuous process, and each experience will help you become a better person. Instead of resisting change, learn how to embrace it.

The second nugget that I want to share with you is about taking charge of your life.

“If your dream or goal scares you, that only means it is important to you.”   If you want to achieve something, you will do everything you can to get it. Otherwise, you will have hundreds of reasons for not doing it. Taking charge of your life is a choice, and you should not let other people do it for you.

When I started my Master of Information Management programme two years ago, I was working full-time as an IT consultant, had a part-time job serving as one of the board of directors for IIBA NZ, and was an executive committee member for PGSA.

That maybe sounds a lot aye?!  

I am not going to lie, it was a rough journey. Looking back, I am overwhelmed with the big tasks I had back then. Juggling all of those activities and class deliverables was close to impossible, so what kept me going? I had a clear end in mind. I chose to take charge of my life because I wanted my MIM degree, and I will get it no matter what.  

Having a big dream is awesome. “If the goal is too big to achieve in one go, learn how to break it down into parts and deal with it one at a time.”

“A journey of a thousand miles begin with one step” – Lao Tzu

Most people will only see the outcome. The achievements. The good stuff. But they don’t see the sacrifices and hard work made along the way. If you want to succeed in life, in one way or another, you’ve got to work hard for it.

Now that you have finished a chapter of your life, I encourage you to make a choice of taking the lead and driving your own ship. Just believe that you can, and everything else will follow through. Positive thinking is a powerful tool in making things happen.  

I am not saying you need to be fearless. It’s OK to feel fear. It’s OK to be afraid. But don't let that fear stop you. Use it as a motivation.   

If I had the opportunity to talk to my young self, I would only have one thing to say… “Don’t worry too much… it is going to be OK. Just trust the whole process.”  

Life after university is like playing basketball. You will miss a lot of shots, and you will fail many times. It will hurt big time, and it may disappoint you. Just keep trying until you make it right. That’s where learning happens.   

I have experienced failure so many times. Failed projects, not getting a promotion, failed relationships, and the list goes on. But these experiences made me a stronger person. Anyone who hasn’t made a mistake hasn’t done anything. We don't grow from the easy stuff. Growth happens every time we surpass the most challenging events in our lives.  

In my 35 years of existence in this world, I did not regret failing those many times in life, but I regret those times I did not give myself a chance to try. Like applying for that dream job I wanted, pursuing a project I have been planning all my life, saying I love you to the people who I care about most.  Things that I didn’t do are the things I regret most. I learned it the hard way. I allowed people to dictate what I should and should not be doing, because I lacked confidence and drive to take charge.  

So, my advice to you is to be brave. Lead your life to a place where you planned it to be. Be who you want to be, not what others want to see.  

The last nugget I am going to share with you is about staying relevant

New Year’s Eve of 2014 I was browsing one of my social media feeds to greet friends. I accidentally clicked a link that led me to the Master of Information Management website. As an IT practitioner, I got curious to see what the programme is all about so I read the brief and the content.  

At first, I told myself I could no longer go back to school. I was maybe too old for it, or my brain might not handle the pressure of attending classes and submitting deliverables. I canned the idea and just carried on with my life. At that moment, I had all the reasons to say “I can’t” because back in the days I had not been a good student in uni, I was a below average performer. That has always been my mindset, and I believed it was true up to that very moment.  

A week later, I ended up listening to one of the inspirational speakers in one of US TV programmes. There is one line in the video clip that hit me the most, and this has been my ‘aha’ moment.

When you hold on to the past, you do so at the expense of your future. The speaker said it as if he was talking directly to me. “The thing that is keeping you from getting what you want is the story that you keep telling yourself about why it can't happen.”  That was a lightbulb moment for me.

After giving it some thought, I finally got the courage to dream again and to believe that I could be a better IT practitioner and a better person. I may have been a below average student in my uni days, but I realised that I had moved on. I was a different person now from my old self 14 years ago. MIM was an opportunity for me to be relevant, and to contribute better to the IT industry.  And so, I applied to MIM, and the rest is history.

We are lucky that we have Victoria University of Wellington.  The University has been continually evolving the contents of graduate programmes to provide industry practitioners an option to upskill.  

Graduating from your Bachelor's or Master’s degree is not the end … it is a start of a new learning experience. The world is changing so fast. What you know now may not be relevant in the next 3-5 years. So it is important to have regular self eveluation and see areas of opportunities where you can improve. Staying relevant is a continuous process. If you want longevity in the industry, continuous learning is necessary.  

As you embark on a new chapter in your lives, I have one request to all of you as top graduates of Victoria Business School. No matter how successful you are going to be, or how busy you will be in your next endeavours, always remember where you came from and acknowledge the people who have helped you. It can be a country (for international students), a family, community or a university.

· Your family for always being there to support you either financially or emotionally

· Your loved ones and friends whom you sacrificed spending time with during your busy schedules

· Your first employer who gave you a chance to start a career

· Your university that molded you and gave you the basics to be ready in life.

In life, you will not be remembered for having top marks, grades or achievements. But you will be remembered for the impact you had on other people.

When you get a chance, and have the capacity to share your knowledge to other people (and I know you will have that chance), I encourage you to pay the good deed forward. It is one way of saying thank you to the people who have inspired and helped you to be where you are now.

With that, I leave you with my final message… life can sometimes be tough. But as long as you:

· Embrace change

· Take charge of your life

· Stay relevant

you will get through it.   

My sincerest congratulations to you and I wish you all the best in life.
(Used with permission).