From Clausewitz to Ford

Strategos–An ancient Greek word translates literally as "the General's art".

From the ancient Greek, through military to modern business usage, the word retains much of its original meaning--

• Decisions and actions with long-term and wide-ranging consequences. 
• Pinpointing vulnerabilities in the competitors' position. 
• Exploiting resources and deployment relative to competitors. 
• Using topography, and technology (lenvironment) for advantage. 
• Finding niches in the marketplace. 

Principles of War

Two basic principles...underlie all strategic planning. . . .

• The first principle is: act with the utmost concentration [trace the ultimate substance of enemy strength to the fewest possible sources; compress the attack on these sources to the fewest possible actions; and subordinate minor actions as much as possible].
• The second principle is: act with the utmost speed [every unnecessary expenditure of time and every unnecessary detour is a waste of strength; take the shortest possible road to the goal]."

The first task, then, in planning for a war is to identify the enemy's center of gravity, and if possible trace it back to a single one. The second task is to ensure that the forces to be used against that point are concentrated for a main offensive. --Carl von Clausewitz

Clauswitz's "center-of-gravity" principle corresponds to Terry Hill's "Order-Winning Criteria" . These are the one or two things manufacturing must do to win orders in the marketplace.

Wickham Skinner's "Key Manufaturing Task", Focused Factories and workcells are manifestations of Clauzwitz's principle of concentration, i.e., do not try to do everything, do the one or two things that make a real difference.