Diploma in Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Pull Flow
600-hour online postgraduate diploma in the Theory of Constraints and pull flow: five focusing steps, throughput accounting, drum-buffer-rope, replenishment, critical chain and thinking processes, with an assigned tutor.
Diploma in Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Pull Flow — studying from Singapore
Singapore's healthcare and medtech sectors are supported by the Health Sciences Authority, which regulates medical devices, and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, which funds biomedical research. Engineers work on medical device design, biomechanics, wearable sensors and occupational safety systems. The Ministry of Manpower oversees workplace safety standards. Employers include medical device manufacturers, hospitals and research institutes in the one-north and Biopolis precincts.
Fees for Singapore: S$1,560 (Singapore dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Singapore
Typical roles
Questions from Singapore
Will this qualification be recognised by professional bodies in Singapore?
SEIUM's qualifications are private qualifications, not official state degrees, and they are not accredited by any national body in Singapore. Professional engineering registration in Singapore is handled through the Professional Engineers Board (PEB), which registers Professional Engineers under the Professional Engineers Act. Recognition of a private qualification is ultimately decided by employers or the relevant body, so check with them before enrolling.
How might this training be used by employers in Singapore?
Employers in Singapore's healthtech, medical device, wearables and workplace safety sectors may value specialist skills in biomechanics and operational safety. Whether they count an online private qualification toward a role is up to each employer. Many firms look at portfolios, project work and experience alongside any certificate, so the final project can be a useful piece of evidence to show them.
Can I study this alongside a full-time job, and can my employer help fund it?
The programme is 100% online and taught in English, so it suits working professionals, though the workload is significant: master's programmes are 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and specialist courses 300 hours. Fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible. Many Singapore employers fund job-related training, so it is worth asking your HR or training department early.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Apply the five focusing steps to identify, exploit and elevate the system constraint.
Make product mix, additional order and outsourcing decisions using throughput accounting.
Schedule the constrained resource and subordinate all other resources to its pace.
Size and manage the time buffers of a drum-buffer-rope system.
Design pull replenishment systems with supermarkets, kanban cards and load levelling.
Plan and track projects with critical chain, using project and feeding buffers.
Use the logical trees of the thinking processes to resolve the core conflict and manage change.
Who it's for
- Production and plant managers who want to increase output without investing in capacity.
- Production planners and schedulers in make-to-order and make-to-stock environments.
- Continuous improvement and lean engineers who want to add constraint management to their toolkit.
- Project and PMO managers running portfolios with shared resources.
- Controllers and finance managers making product mix, pricing and outsourcing decisions.
- Industrial or management engineering graduates looking to specialise in operations.
What you'll work with
- ISO 9001 (quality management systems)
- ISO 21502 (project, programme and portfolio management)
- ISO 10006 (quality management in projects)
- ISO 22400-2 (key performance indicators for manufacturing operations)
- IEC 62264 (enterprise-control system integration)
- ISO 18404 (Lean and Six Sigma competencies)
- PMBOK Guide (PMI) (project management standard)
8 modules
1.1System goal and global measures1.2Throughput, inventory and operating expense1.3The five focusing steps1.4Identifying the physical constraint1.5Policy and market constraints1.6The effect of dependency and fluctuation1.7Protective capacity of non-constraint resources1.8Why local optima harm the global result1.9Comparison with distributed improvement1.10Application cases in plants and projects
2.1Throughput per unit of constraint2.2Optimal product mix decision2.3Accepting or rejecting an additional order2.4Deciding whether to outsource an operation2.5Evaluating an investment in capacity2.6Why unit cost leads to wrong decisions2.7Treatment of fixed costs2.8Minimum acceptable price in a quotation2.9Prioritising orders by contribution2.10Throughput-based decision report
3.1Identifying the capacity-constrained resource3.2Detailed schedule of the constraint3.3Process batch and transfer batch sizes3.4Reducing changeover time at the constraint3.5Protecting the constraint against stoppages3.6Managing queues in front of the constraint3.7Sequencing to minimise changeovers3.8Subordinating all other resources3.9Synchronising assembly3.10Effective utilisation indicators
4.1Role of the drum in planning4.2Sizing the time buffer4.3Shipping and assembly buffers4.4Material release tied to the drum4.5Buffer management by colour zones4.6Buffer penetration and priority4.7Holes in the buffer and their causes4.8Dynamic adjustment of buffer size4.9Consumption-based replenishment4.10Simplified implementation without a drum
5.1Supermarkets and replenishment signals5.2Replenishment cards and their sizing5.3Calculating the number of containers5.4Sequential pull in make-to-order production5.5Levelling load and mix5.6Heijunka box and output pace5.7Continuous flow versus pull flow5.8Decoupling points in the value chain5.9Replenishment in warehousing and distribution5.10Comparing replenishment and scheduling
6.1Identifying the critical chain6.2Removing individual task margins6.3Project and feeding buffers6.4Resource buffers and early warning6.5Managing bad multitasking6.6Staggering projects in the portfolio6.7Tracking by buffer consumption6.8Fever chart and decisions6.9Meetings based on buffer status6.10Expected results and required discipline
7.1Current reality tree and undesirable effects7.2Conflict cloud and underlying assumptions7.3Future reality tree and desirable effects7.4Prerequisite tree and obstacles7.5Transition tree and action plan7.6Identifying the core conflict7.7Logical validation of causal relationships7.8Managing resistance to change7.9Measuring the outcome of the intervention7.10Institutionalising the improvement
8.1Choosing the production system and scope8.2Collecting capacity and demand data8.3Identifying the constraint with evidence8.4Calculating throughput per unit of constraint8.5Designing the buffer and release system8.6Simulating the proposed behaviour8.7Implementation and change management plan8.8Writing the report and appendices8.9Review with the tutor and defence before the panel8.10Submitting the file and follow-up plan
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so you can combine the programme with your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Excel, MS Project, AnyLogic, Python, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Cases are studied on real capacity, demand and queue data from manufacturing plants, distribution centres and engineering project portfolios. Assessment is continuous, module by module, plus the final integrated project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- An internet connection and a computer able to run the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 600 hours over 6–9 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with Excel, MS Project, AnyLogic and Python, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a computer able to run the programme software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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