Strategy Sessions
The purpose of a Strategy Session is to identify the few important things that need to be done to improve a business: IE to bring it closer to its goal.  Typically, but not always, business' goal is to make more money now and in the future. When that is a business's goal, the Strategy Session is aimed at finding quick and effective ways to increase profits, now and in the future.

Typically, the Strategy Session is scheduled to be run in one week as follows:
Day Attending Purpose Activities
Monday Key Stakeholders.  Typically these are key members of the management team and sometimes other key employees.  In some cases it could include a member of the company's board of directors or a union representative. Identify the company's core problem and find a direction for its solution
  1. Find the constraint of the company
  2. Identify major problems in each functional area.
  3. Describe these problems in a structured way.
  4. Identify the core problem of the business
  5. Identify a direction for a solution to this problem.
Tuesday Improvement Champion.  Typically this is the CEO or head of the business unit. Sometimes it is another top manager who is particularly enthusiastic about TOC. Identify the relationship between the core problem and the major problems in the functional areas. Construct a logical diagram (a Current Reality Tree) relating the core problem to the major problems in the functional areas.
Wednesday Key Stakeholders
  1. Validate the relationship between the core problem and the major functional problems.
  2. Identify changes needed to solve the major problems.
  1. Read and improve the Current Reality Tree to the point everyone agrees that it is good enough.
  2. Apply the direction of solution of the company's core problem to the individual functional areas.
  3. Identify major additional improvements that are needed to significantly improve the company
  4. Present information on Theory of Constraints approaches applicable to solving some of the identified problems, if any.
Thursday Improvement Champion Logically determine what changes and needed to bring about the desired improvements. Construct a logical diagram (a Future Reality Tree) relating the suggested changes required to bring about the desired improvements. This typically discovers that
  1. some of the suggested changes are not essential, and that
  2. others are required.
Friday Key Stakeholders
  1. Validate that the (now) proposed changes would likely bring about the desired improvement.
  2. Determine value of bringing about the improvements.
  3. Determine the willingness of the Stakeholders to proceed.
  1. Read and improve the Future Reality Tree to the point that everyone agrees it is good enough.
  2. Estimate the value of bringing about the improvements.
  3. General group discussion on the feasibility and value of proceeding.

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