The time buffer is strategically placed inventory to protect the system's output from the variations that occur in the system, material release is offset from the constraint schedule by a fixed amount of time, the Buffer, shipping buffers are strategically placed to protect shipping dates and prevent constraint processes from starvation due to a lack of materials, since it is so important that the constraint is never 'starved' for a needed inventory, a time buffer is often established in front of the constraint, capacity buffers exist in a TOC system to the extent that non-constrained resources have extra capacity, capacity buffers help to maintain the time and shipping buffers during periods in which the processes experience fluctuations in output
The Rope is the material release mechanism, it releases material to the first operation at a pace determined by the constraint, the Rope subordinates non-constraint processes to the constraint, releasing inventory to the production system based on the rate of consumption of the constraint, the Rope provides communications between critical control points to ensure their synchronisation, the Rope 'pulls' production to the constraint for necessary processing