A Study of Using Experiment to Test and Verify U-curve Management Thinking

The U-curve is the management thinking from Dr. Goldratt practical experience. The U-curve is a graph with extreme left and right sides, and it stands for the impact relationship between time buffer and management attention. Dr. Goldratt recommended buffer time from the both side move to the middle of U-curve, and manager could reduce the input of effort and time to manage the production line. However, the view of Dr. Goldratt is correct? First, this study will test and verify management thinking if the management attention is high at both ends of the U-curve. Then, this study will verify the adequate area of U-curve, and to understand the adjustment of time buffer is appropriate. There is no relevant literature to explore the U-curve management thinking, so this study explores U-curve management thinking by job shop game and records the management attention by observation. In this study, there are 24 data of machine tool research project and 11 groups of job shop game to verify U-curve management thinking, and there are three case studies of Theory of Constraints (TOC) to support the results of this study.