Did you know that:

9 out of 10 software companies are losing millions of dollars to a sneaky bottleneck?

And no amount of Agile or DevOps fine-tuning will fix it.

It might sound counterintuitive but:

Hiring more devs won’t help you deliver faster

That’s because the fundamental issue isn’t with your team or your tooling. It’s with a bottleneck that’s hiding in the wrong place—where no one can see it. 

And until you see it and put it in its place, your entire pipeline will be out of whack.

Hi, I’m Clarke Ching.

I’ve spent 31 years helping CIOs, CTOs and senior tech leaders solve the most vexxing “productivity” problems.

My toolkit? A simplified, modernised version of the Theory of Constraints (ToC). And I can help you apply it so you can:

  • Take your team from burnout-busy to productive buzz

  • Crank up your delivery—all while making your devs happier

  • Shush your customer’s complaints by satisfying their “impossible” expectations

And it all starts with seeing—and then managing—bottlenecks.

As seen on

“Clarke helped us distill the bubbling cauldron of problems to the ones we needed to focus on”

“Clarke worked with us when we were going through a particularly tumultuous time at work. There was an exceedingly complex technical project to be delivered, coupled with a high turnover in engineering.

Clarke’s weekly coaching of our engineering leadership was very beneficial. He helped us distill the bubbling cauldron of problems to the ones we needed to focus on.

I always looked forward to our weekly call with Clarke and the insight he would share with us.”

—Neil Crawford, Technology Leader and Software Engineer

Maybe you thought “ToC” stood for “table of contents” right up until this moment

< OR >

Maybe you’re a ToC veteran who’s dreamt about sitting at Goldratt’s feet

  • Get a free PDF copy of The Bottleneck Rules. It breaks ToC down into simple concepts you can apply right away.

  • Download my “Top 5 Bottlenecks” PDF (coming soon!) to find out which types of bottlenecks are lurking in commercial software development companies (based on my 31-year practice).

  • Follow me on LinkedIn for rants and riddles. Also, get the latest on my speaking engagements and boring bottleneck webinars. (And do me a favour, would you? Don’t mind the purists … whether they’re of the Agile or ToC sort.)

No matter how NEW or “old news” the Theory of Constraints is to you, you can benefit from seeing (and managing!) bottlenecks.

Here’s what you can do right now:

“Using the bottleneck analysis process has changed the way I view nearly everything”

“Clarke possesses the unique ability of using perspective and empathy to look at service chain problems and leadership challenges of organizations.

Clarke has taught me problem-solving tools to give me a 360° view, then focus on the root cause. Using the bottleneck analysis process has changed the way I view nearly everything.

I am currently applying these techniques to the service chain of the Tax Department in Ireland, proving these tools solve.”

—Tim Wilton, Business Transformation Manager

“Clarke doesn’t come in with a playbook or agenda”

“The thing that makes Clarke different is his ability to establish instant trust.

When other consultants come in, they poke and prod at what you’re doing, and you worry, ‘What’s going to happen?’

But with Clarke, you don’t feel the need to brace or shield yourself. He doesn’t come in with a playbook or agenda. He makes you feel like he’s joining your team as a coach and mentor.

And in your journey of discovery, whether individually or as a team, you’ll come across these golden nuggets—these a-ha moments of truth—that make you a better person and bring you closer to the solution.”

—Miryana Penuvceski, WiseTech Global Change Leader

Bottom line:

There’s a slow and painful way to do ToC. And then there’s the fast and safe way—with a guide.

I’ve simplified ToC for the real world. So you can apply it in an agile workplace that’s made of humans, not machines.

Get theory-of-constraints coaching to solve those million-dollar problems

ToC and Agile coaching with results

Coaching companies and organizations since 2003, including:

“Clarke creates lasting change in individuals”

“Over the 20 years I’ve known Clarke, I’ve worked with him on multiple occasions.

Many times I’ve said to him, “Go over there and see what you can find.” That’s all the direction he needs. I can point to an issue and say, “I think that team could use some help.”

He then guides the people to see the issues in a different way and gain the knowledge to work together differently. He creates lasting change in the individuals. And he does this over a really short period of time.”

—Alistair Law, BCS Fellow, Business Executive, Founder AL Innovate

“Clarke … gives people the freedom to think and come to their own conclusions”

“Clarke is very happy to be behind the scenes and have other people shine.

He's very humble, patient, approachable, down-to-earth and non-threatening—and he gives credit to the heroes being made in the process.

Also, in the software development industry you inevitably work with a lot of highly intelligent people who most certainly aren't shy to challenge anyone or anything.

And Clarke is able to handle that in a way that is non-confrontational and gives people the freedom to think and come to their own conclusions. He guides people at their own pace, and yet he's quick on his feet, adapts to the company's needs and stays focused on the desired outcome or goal.

—Linda Mandin, Productivity Change Leader, WiseTech Global