How keeping busy can be a bad idea

Applying the theory of constraints in a structural steel plant - How keeping busy can be a bad idea

Merely staying busy is not a determinant of success. To truly improve your throughput, you must concentrate your resources on the bottlenecks and keep your noncritical functions ready when needed.

This is an excellent article that summarizes the Theory of Constraints concept. Any area where multiple steps are needed to complete the activity can learn from TOC. The idea of Critical Chain project management comes out of this as well.