The Five Focusing Steps & The Thinking Processes in TOC
Q1. What is the first step in the Five Focusing Steps of TOC?
A. Subordinate
B. Exploit
C. Identify
D. Elevate
✅ Answer: C. Identify
Q2. What is the objective of the 'Identify' step in TOC?
A. Increase staffing
B. Find the current constraint
C. Change the business model
D. Recalculate throughput
✅ Answer: B. Find the current constraint
Q3. What does the 'Exploit' step aim to do in TOC?
A. Remove the constraint
B. Outsource the process
C. Improve throughput using current resources
D. Add automation tools
✅ Answer: C. Improve throughput using current resources
Q4. In the 'Subordinate' step of TOC, the focus is on:
A. Creating employee schedules
B. Investing capital
C. Aligning all other activities to support the constraint
D. Hiring external consultants
✅ Answer: C. Aligning all other activities to support the constraint
Q5. What action is typically involved in the 'Elevate' step?
A. Ignore the constraint
B. Wait for it to resolve itself
C. Take additional action, possibly with investment, to eliminate the constraint
D. Shut down the process
✅ Answer: C. Take additional action, possibly with investment, to eliminate the constraint
Q6. The 'Repeat' step in TOC implies:
A. Constraint removal is temporary
B. Continuous improvement cycle should continue
C. Constraints never reappear
D. No further changes needed
✅ Answer: B. Continuous improvement cycle should continue
Q7. What is the primary focus of the Five Focusing Steps?
A. Increasing employee satisfaction
B. Reducing costs
C. Identifying and eliminating constraints
D. Promoting product innovation
✅ Answer: C. Identifying and eliminating constraints
Q8. The Five Focusing Steps are described as a:
A. One-time fix
B. Quarterly review
C. Cyclical process
D. Random method
✅ Answer: C. Cyclical process
Q9. In TOC, what should happen once a constraint is resolved?
A. Eliminate the entire process
B. Focus on the next constraint
C. Pause the cycle
D. Increase inventory
✅ Answer: B. Focus on the next constraint
Q10. Why is the constraint referred to as the “weakest link”?
A. It’s a broken process
B. It limits system throughput
C. It has the most employees
D. It receives no attention
✅ Answer: B. It limits system throughput
Q11. What are the Thinking Processes designed to solve in TOC?
A. Hiring problems
B. Supply chain delays
C. Root causes of undesirable effects
D. Software bugs
✅ Answer: C. Root causes of undesirable effects
Q12. Which of the following is NOT a question asked in TOC’s Thinking Processes?
A. What needs to be changed?
B. What should it be changed to?
C. What actions will cause the change?
D. What competitors are doing better?
✅ Answer: D. What competitors are doing better?
Q13. What is a UDE in the context of TOC Thinking Processes?
A. Undesirable Equipment
B. Unplanned Delayed Expense
C. Undesirable Effect
D. Ultimate Data Error
✅ Answer: C. Undesirable Effect
Q14. What does the Current Reality Tree help document?
A. Employee performance
B. Budget constraints
C. The present state of the system and its problems
D. Marketing ROI
✅ Answer: C. The present state of the system and its problems
Q15. What tool is used to visualize the future improved state in TOC?
A. Future Reality Tree
B. Budget Forecast Sheet
C. Gap Analysis
D. Resource Allocation Matrix
✅ Answer: A. Future Reality Tree
Q16. What is the purpose of the Evaporating Cloud Tree?
A. List costs
B. Resolve conflicts between potential solutions
C. Assign blame
D. Forecast sales
✅ Answer: B. Resolve conflicts between potential solutions
Q17. What does the Strategy and Tactics Tree provide in TOC?
A. Equipment maintenance guide
B. Daily checklists
C. A structured action plan to achieve future goals
D. Cost optimization model
✅ Answer: C. A structured action plan to achieve future goals
Q18. What is an 'injection' in TOC Thinking Processes?
A. A tool used for coding
B. A root cause
C. A specific change that eliminates UDEs
D. A cost center
✅ Answer: C. A specific change that eliminates UDEs
Q19. Which tool is used to transition from current reality to desired future state?
A. Evaporating Cloud Tree
B. Strategy and Tactics Tree
C. Pareto Chart
D. Current Reality Tree
✅ Answer: A. Evaporating Cloud Tree
Q20. The Strategy and Tactics Tree in TOC is meant to:
A. Replace the marketing plan
B. Replace the Prerequisite Tree
C. Replace the Value Chain
D. Replace HR dashboards
✅ Answer: B. Replace the Prerequisite Tree
Q21. Why is it important to exploit the constraint before elevating it?
A. It prevents unnecessary investment
B. It increases employee engagement
C. It helps identify customers
D. It ensures process automation
✅ Answer: A. It prevents unnecessary investment
Q22. In TOC, which step focuses on aligning the rest of the system to support the constraint?
A. Elevate
B. Identify
C. Subordinate
D. Repeat
✅ Answer: C. Subordinate
Q23. What is the danger of skipping the 'Subordinate' step in TOC?
A. Increased hiring
B. Resource misalignment
C. Over-automation
D. Higher costs only
✅ Answer: B. Resource misalignment
Q24. What happens during the 'Repeat' step in TOC?
A. Performance is ignored
B. Team is disbanded
C. A new constraint is identified
D. The previous constraint is removed again
✅ Answer: C. A new constraint is identified
Q25. Why is TOC considered a continuous improvement model?
A. It reduces employee numbers
B. It keeps rechecking cost
C. It cycles through constraints continuously
D. It relies on feedback forms
✅ Answer: C. It cycles through constraints continuously
Q26. Which TOC tool visualizes how current issues are connected to deeper problems?
A. Future Reality Tree
B. Strategy and Tactics Tree
C. Current Reality Tree
D. Cost Allocation Tree
✅ Answer: C. Current Reality Tree
Q27. In the Thinking Processes, UDEs are used to:
A. Decorate diagrams
B. Identify symptoms of core problems
C. Measure cost variance
D. Define market segments
✅ Answer: B. Identify symptoms of core problems
Q28. Which of the following best represents a TOC constraint?
A. An untrained employee
B. A machine that limits throughput
C. A team lunch
D. A flexible schedule
✅ Answer: B. A machine that limits throughput
Q29. What is the ultimate goal of applying the Thinking Processes?
A. Cut marketing budget
B. Achieve staff equality
C. Remove undesirable effects without side effects
D. Increase price
✅ Answer: C. Remove undesirable effects without side effects
Q30. Which TOC diagram is used to plan how to achieve a desired outcome?
A. Evaporating Cloud
B. Strategy and Tactics Tree
C. UDE Map
D. Gantt Chart
✅ Answer: B. Strategy and Tactics Tree
Q31. What does a “conflict cloud” represent in TOC?
A. A faulty system design
B. An unresolved disagreement between improvement options
C. A weather forecast tool
D. A cloud server failure
✅ Answer: B. An unresolved disagreement between improvement options
Q32. Why is the Evaporating Cloud Tree useful in decision making?
A. It minimizes hiring
B. It avoids hard choices
C. It resolves contradictions without compromise
D. It lists employee ratings
✅ Answer: C. It resolves contradictions without compromise
Q33. What is the first step in constructing a Current Reality Tree?
A. Set long-term goals
B. List Undesirable Effects (UDEs)
C. Assign cost centers
D. Build a strategy map
✅ Answer: B. List Undesirable Effects (UDEs)
Q34. Which tool in the Thinking Processes is most tactical in nature?
A. Current Reality Tree
B. Strategy and Tactics Tree
C. Evaporating Cloud Tree
D. Process Capability Matrix
✅ Answer: B. Strategy and Tactics Tree
Q35. What does TOC emphasize instead of local optimization?
A. Team bonding
B. Focus on global throughput
C. Reducing production time
D. Expanding departments
✅ Answer: B. Focus on global throughput
Q36. What is the risk of elevating a constraint prematurely?
A. Budget surplus
B. Underutilization of existing resources
C. Increased employee satisfaction
D. Over-automation
✅ Answer: B. Underutilization of existing resources
Q37. Why must the Five Focusing Steps be repeated continuously?
A. For compliance reporting
B. To meet HR requirements
C. Because constraints shift over time
D. To increase headcount
✅ Answer: C. Because constraints shift over time
Q38. What is a key reason TOC uses diagrams in its Thinking Processes?
A. To train engineers
B. To reduce costs
C. To visualize cause-effect relationships clearly
D. To fulfill ISO certification
✅ Answer: C. To visualize cause-effect relationships clearly
Q39. The Thinking Processes provide answers to all of the following EXCEPT:
A. What needs to be changed?
B. What should it be changed to?
C. What tools are trending in the market?
D. What actions will cause the change?
✅ Answer: C. What tools are trending in the market?
Q40. TOC's tools are especially useful for systems with:
A. Simple rules
B. Isolated processes
C. Complex interdependencies
D. High advertising spend
✅ Answer: C. Complex interdependencies
Q41. What makes the Thinking Processes a “scientific” approach in TOC?
A. It uses spreadsheets for budgeting
B. It avoids creativity
C. It relies on cause-and-effect logic
D. It uses only numeric data
✅ Answer: C. It relies on cause-and-effect logic
Q42. What is a key feature of the Strategy and Tactics Tree?
A. Lists daily tasks
B. Offers a detailed improvement implementation plan
C. Replaces employee manuals
D. Evaluates team behavior
✅ Answer: B. Offers a detailed improvement implementation plan
Q43. Which step in the Five Focusing Steps might require capital investment?
A. Identify
B. Exploit
C. Elevate
D. Subordinate
✅ Answer: C. Elevate
Q44. Why is the Evaporating Cloud Tree also called a "Conflict Resolution Diagram"?
A. It adds clouds to data
B. It identifies team conflicts
C. It addresses contradictory assumptions
D. It resolves leadership turnover
✅ Answer: C. It addresses contradictory assumptions
Q45. TOC encourages resolving conflicts in a way that:
A. Compromises both positions
B. Favors senior management
C. Preserves throughput and removes the core issue
D. Avoids responsibility
✅ Answer: C. Preserves throughput and removes the core issue
Q46. What is a symptom of focusing on non-constraints instead of the constraint?
A. Increased throughput
B. Reduced costs
C. Local efficiencies but no global improvement
D. Better employee morale
✅ Answer: C. Local efficiencies but no global improvement
Q47. Which of the following is not an official Thinking Process tool?
A. Current Reality Tree
B. SWOT Analysis
C. Strategy and Tactics Tree
D. Evaporating Cloud
✅ Answer: B. SWOT Analysis
Q48. What is the best way to remove Undesirable Effects (UDEs) in TOC?
A. Replace leadership
B. Improve team incentives
C. Implement “injections” through structured diagrams
D. Adopt Lean Six Sigma
✅ Answer: C. Implement “injections” through structured diagrams
Q49. The term “injection” in TOC means:
A. New marketing plan
B. Sudden investment
C. Targeted change to eliminate root causes
D. Cost-cutting measure
✅ Answer: C. Targeted change to eliminate root causes
Q50. What is the main goal of the Future Reality Tree?
A. Define a training plan
B. Visualize the improved system after changes
C. Track expenses
D. Analyze current waste
✅ Answer: B. Visualize the improved system after changes
Q51. Why is it important not to elevate the constraint too early?
A. It could demotivate employees
B. It may cause a surplus in other areas
C. It wastes resources without fully exploiting existing capabilities
D. It increases sales costs
✅ Answer: C. It wastes resources without fully exploiting existing capabilities
Q52. Which TOC step helps avoid misalignment of effort across departments?
A. Identify
B. Exploit
C. Subordinate
D. Repeat
✅ Answer: C. Subordinate
Q53. A common problem TOC Thinking Processes solve is:
A. Product pricing
B. HR onboarding
C. Conflicting objectives
D. Equipment scheduling
✅ Answer: C. Conflicting objectives
Q54. Which of these tools connects current state analysis with future improvements?
A. Value Stream Map
B. Evaporating Cloud
C. Pareto Diagram
D. Cause-Effect Chain
✅ Answer: B. Evaporating Cloud
Q55. The Five Focusing Steps ensure that:
A. All teams have equal budgets
B. The company moves toward removing its most limiting factor
C. Employees get promoted
D. Accounting becomes easier
✅ Answer: B. The company moves toward removing its most limiting factor
Q56. The 'Elevate' step may involve:
A. Cutting costs
B. Ignoring issues
C. Investing in new equipment
D. Hiring managers
✅ Answer: C. Investing in new equipment
Q57. The Strategy and Tactics Tree links:
A. Sales and marketing
B. Strategy with specific implementation actions
C. Employees with customers
D. HR policies to production
✅ Answer: B. Strategy with specific implementation actions
Q58. The repeat step exists because:
A. Teams forget old processes
B. Constraints always remain the same
C. New constraints emerge as old ones are resolved
D. It satisfies compliance rules
✅ Answer: C. New constraints emerge as old ones are resolved
Q59. A clear outcome of properly applying the Thinking Processes is:
A. More budget reports
B. Faster problem resolution without new problems
C. Reduced documentation
D. Higher cost of quality
✅ Answer: B. Faster problem resolution without new problems
Q60. Which element is commonly identified first in a Current Reality Tree?
A. Strategic Objectives
B. Departmental Budgets
C. Undesirable Effects (UDEs)
D. Customer Feedback
✅ Answer: C. Undesirable Effects (UDEs)
Q61. The “cloud” in the Evaporating Cloud Tree represents:
A. Cloud storage
B. Internet tools
C. A core conflict needing resolution
D. Fluctuating profits
✅ Answer: C. A core conflict needing resolution
Q62. The Thinking Processes are mainly used in what kind of environments?
A. Simple task-driven teams
B. Freelance consulting
C. Complex systems with interdependencies
D. Marketing-only departments
✅ Answer: C. Complex systems with interdependencies
Q63. What is the most powerful outcome of the Strategy and Tactics Tree?
A. Compliance with HR
B. A visual organization chart
C. A practical roadmap to implement change
D. Budget forecasting
✅ Answer: C. A practical roadmap to implement change
Q64. TOC recommends focusing on one constraint because:
A. It simplifies training
B. It aligns with Six Sigma
C. It delivers the most impactful results fastest
D. It increases salaries
✅ Answer: C. It delivers the most impactful results fastest
Q65. What happens if a Future Reality Tree introduces a new UDE?
A. It is discarded
B. The new UDE must be evaluated and mitigated
C. It becomes a strategy
D. It’s hidden
✅ Answer: B. The new UDE must be evaluated and mitigated
Q66. The ultimate goal of the Thinking Processes is to:
A. Simplify meetings
B. Reduce labor cost
C. Enable focused, conflict-free improvement
D. Design new layouts
✅ Answer: C. Enable focused, conflict-free improvement
Q67. How do you know a constraint has been 'broken'?
A. Output is reduced
B. UDEs increase
C. The constraint shifts to another part of the system
D. Expenses go up
✅ Answer: C. The constraint shifts to another part of the system
Q68. What does TOC say about constraints and improvement?
A. Most processes don’t have constraints
B. Improving constraints is the only path to throughput improvement
C. Team training is more important
D. Only software can fix constraints
✅ Answer: B. Improving constraints is the only path to throughput improvement
Q69. What typically causes UDEs in a system?
A. Customer satisfaction
B. Root conflicts or flawed assumptions
C. High product quality
D. Employee bonuses
✅ Answer: B. Root conflicts or flawed assumptions
Q70. Which TOC Thinking Process helps visualize both negative and positive effects of change?
A. Current Reality Tree
B. Strategy and Tactics Tree
C. Future Reality Tree
D. UDE List
✅ Answer: C. Future Reality Tree
Q71. TOC's “Exploit” step focuses on:
A. Making the constraint work better without added investment
B. Firing underperformers
C. Moving the constraint elsewhere
D. Automating everything
✅ Answer: A. Making the constraint work better without added investment
Q72. Which of these is a practical benefit of applying the Thinking Processes?
A. Better branding
B. Higher budgets
C. Shared understanding of problems and how to solve them
D. Easier exit strategy
✅ Answer: C. Shared understanding of problems and how to solve them
Q73. In TOC, when should the organization stop improving?
A. After 6 months
B. When no constraints exist
C. When all teams are trained
D. Never – improvement is continuous
✅ Answer: D. Never – improvement is continuous
Q74. Why are TOC tools described as “systemic”?
A. They use automation
B. They rely on personal intuition
C. They consider the whole system’s cause-effect relationships
D. They only apply to accounting
✅ Answer: C. They consider the whole system’s cause-effect relationships
Q75. What is the danger of misidentifying a constraint?
A. Too much innovation
B. Increased costs and reduced throughput
C. Too many satisfied customers
D. Lower employee stress
✅ Answer: B. Increased costs and reduced throughput
Q76. What separates the Thinking Processes from basic problem-solving methods?
A. They focus on innovation
B. They are based on measurable KPIs
C. They prevent new problems while solving existing ones
D. They involve brainstorming
✅ Answer: C. They prevent new problems while solving existing ones
Q77. The 'Evaporating' in Evaporating Cloud Tree refers to:
A. Data loss
B. Elimination of conflict
C. Digital processing
D. Employee turnover
✅ Answer: B. Elimination of conflict
Q78. The core output of the Strategy and Tactics Tree is:
A. A shared vision
B. A policy handbook
C. A sequenced improvement roadmap
D. Employee scorecards
✅ Answer: C. A sequenced improvement roadmap
Q79. How does TOC define improvement success?
A. Cost reduction
B. Staff reduction
C. Throughput increase and problem resolution
D. Marketing reach
✅ Answer: C. Throughput increase and problem resolution
Q80. Which step should come immediately after breaking a constraint?
A. Review HR policies
B. Repeat the Five Focusing Steps
C. Pause the process
D. Revert to old system
✅ Answer: B. Repeat the Five Focusing Steps
Q81. What distinguishes the ‘Elevate’ step from the ‘Exploit’ step in TOC?
A. Elevate uses only internal resources
B. Elevate involves significant organizational downsizing
C. Elevate may involve external investment or process redesign
D. Elevate eliminates all UDEs
✅ Answer: C. Elevate may involve external investment or process redesign
Q82. Which statement best describes the cyclical nature of the Five Focusing Steps?
A. Once completed, they are not revisited
B. They should be completed annually
C. They must be repeated continuously as constraints shift
D. They are used only during audits
✅ Answer: C. They must be repeated continuously as constraints shift
Q83. TOC’s Five Focusing Steps are often used in which industries?
A. Only education
B. Manufacturing and service operations
C. Retail only
D. Legal compliance
✅ Answer: B. Manufacturing and service operations
Q84. What is the key advantage of using diagrams in TOC Thinking Processes?
A. They are easy to print
B. They reduce need for data
C. They visually clarify complex cause-effect relationships
D. They increase formality
✅ Answer: C. They visually clarify complex cause-effect relationships
Q85. When constructing a Future Reality Tree, what must be ensured?
A. No new UDEs are introduced
B. Budgets are expanded
C. Employee contracts are rewritten
D. System downtime increases
✅ Answer: A. No new UDEs are introduced
Q86. A system that is not aligned with the constraint leads to:
A. Higher product quality
B. Reduced inventory
C. Inefficiencies and idle capacity
D. Better branding
✅ Answer: C. Inefficiencies and idle capacity
Q87. What is the essence of TOC according to Eliyahu Goldratt?
A. Automation
B. Cost accounting
C. Focus
D. Strategy mapping
✅ Answer: C. Focus
Q88. Which step in TOC checks whether other resources are aligned with the constraint?
A. Exploit
B. Subordinate
C. Elevate
D. Identify
✅ Answer: B. Subordinate
Q89. Why are “injections” important in TOC's Thinking Processes?
A. They increase capital
B. They act as change elements to remove root causes
C. They replace strategy
D. They reduce staff
✅ Answer: B. They act as change elements to remove root causes
Q90. Which of the following would most likely be considered a constraint?
A. A sales bonus
B. A bottleneck machine in production
C. A team-building exercise
D. A business trip
✅ Answer: B. A bottleneck machine in production
Q91. When is the Evaporating Cloud Tree most useful?
A. During final implementation
B. When current strategy fails
C. When resolving conflicting approaches to change
D. During product launch
✅ Answer: C. When resolving conflicting approaches to change
Q92. A well-defined constraint in TOC is:
A. A vague bottleneck
B. The most visible department
C. The factor that most limits system throughput
D. The area with highest cost
✅ Answer: C. The factor that most limits system throughput
Q93. What typically follows the successful elimination of one constraint?
A. Celebration
B. Job layoffs
C. A new constraint emerges
D. Project closure
✅ Answer: C. A new constraint emerges
Q94. What role does the Strategy and Tactics Tree play in TOC?
A. Increases revenue directly
B. Documents future state of processes
C. Provides a sequenced plan to implement change
D. Manages team morale
✅ Answer: C. Provides a sequenced plan to implement change
Q95. What is one risk of acting without identifying the true constraint?
A. Minor success
B. Long-term stability
C. Misallocated improvement efforts
D. Higher throughput
✅ Answer: C. Misallocated improvement efforts
Q96. What is TOC’s stance on optimizing non-constraints?
A. Always optimize them first
B. Only if budgets allow
C. It does not significantly benefit system throughput
D. It’s the best cost-saving approach
✅ Answer: C. It does not significantly benefit system throughput
Q97. What is the function of a Current Reality Tree (CRT)?
A. Define goals
B. Validate employee output
C. Identify root causes of existing problems
D. Document HR policies
✅ Answer: C. Identify root causes of existing problems
Q98. The Five Focusing Steps serve as:
A. A tool to improve profitability
B. An audit checklist
C. A quality control framework
D. A marketing system
✅ Answer: A. A tool to improve profitability
Q99. In TOC, the best way to identify a constraint is to:
A. Look at marketing failures
B. Measure where throughput slows down the most
C. Analyze HR turnover
D. Evaluate inventory costs
✅ Answer: B. Measure where throughput slows down the most
Q100. A company applies TOC and removes a bottleneck in production. What's next?
A. Scale down operations
B. Stop improvement
C. Begin identifying and improving the next constraint
D. Increase marketing budget
✅ Answer: C. Begin identifying and improving the next constraint
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