Rating: 
Summary: Not only a great busines book,...
Review: but a wonderfully written story. The Goal introduces the reader to Goldratt's Theory of Constraints (TOC), a method of manufacturing that is contrary to the old-school of inventory and accounting. He does this via a Socratic teacher/student dialog throughout the novel. A great way to get across a very different way of looking at things that allows the reader to really understand TOC.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: As an Industrial Engineering student at Georgia Tech, this was required reading for a class that I was taking. I'm particularly interested in the book because it's subject matter is that of my career field, but I feel that this book could be helpful for all areas of business. The book takes a break from the "sacred cows" and will make the reader question long held tradition. The methods are common sense, and can be stated in a few paragraphs, but the book is interesting in that it takes the reader through the learning process. The book requires not only that you know the principles, but also that you follow the steps in developing the principles.I wasn't supposed to have finished the book for about three more weeks, but I couldn't put it down. I highly reccomend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Potential for the right audience
Review: I am not in manufacturing/assembly line work. I read this book looking for ideas for day to day management. My first comment is the book is too long. The material could have been covered in 50 pages. Goldratt adds material that I did not find interesting and I found myself wanting to jump to the next "meaty" part of the book. If I was in manufacturing, I may have a different view of the book. Otherwise, the valuable information is too far apart to recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Imperative for more than just the manufacturing industry
Review: When I first got this book from a friend I didn't know why I should read about manufacturing when my focus was project management and customer care. But I soon found the advice given and the methods prescribed to be applicable in many more areas than just manufacturing. I am sure that the production and process improvement techniques the author outlines in his work could be described in a textbook to a much higher degree of completeness and with a fraction of the number of pages. But what good is that, if the textbook would never get picked up by the people who should read it? Besides, many companies don't even honor the fairly basic theories Mr. Goldratt's book focuses on. But no matter how you categorize the book, as entertainment, education or even as encouragement to read more thorough literature on the subject, it is a worthy specimen.
Rating:
Summary: mandatory reading at my company
Review: My company is a manufacturing company and this book has become mandatory for ALL employees. This book along with "It's Not Luck" (sequel)are both writen very clearly and are fun to read as well as helpful in understanding the way things should work.
Rating:
Summary: An effective reminder of the basics, but nothing more
Review: Just finished reading the book for an MBA class and found the book to be effective in reminding readers of elements to keep in mind when working towards effective production. Nevertheless, I came away from the book feeling that Goldratt knew his theory would only run about twenty pages of text if written in plain layman form and decided to turn it into a 340 page novel in order to have enough pages to get a publishing deal. I also felt that Goldratt's followup at the end of the book ("My Saga") seems to be written merely as a defensive explanation as to why his theory failed to work in some cases. That is not the intention of the piece, I'm sure; but that is the reality of what is said there. Ultimately, in trying to ease concerns about failures with the system, Goldratt leaves the reader with a feeling that perhaps his theory is not worth the trouble implementing.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Read, Good crisis management process, Flawed logic
Review: Goldratt's book is a good read and should be a part of all manufacturing managers' reading lists. For a plant manager who finds himself in Rogo's place, it is an excellent prescription for what to do now to save your plant. It does not give you theory, but rather a rough and ready process to work with where the chips meet the floor. It does not however solve the basic problem in manufacturing which is "How to achieve competitive advantage." Since it is focused on plant level reactive management, it does not focus on strategic issues and as well overlooks the beneficial effects that reengineering to a flow process environment could bring. The Boy Scout hike game is a very flawed example that will lead readers astray from good principles. In it he attempts to show that because of statistical fluctuations a balanced line is counterproductive. However the example that he uses is in fact not a balanced line as any lean or flow manufacturing student could point out. The line is not make to demand but push, the processes are way out of control (71% variability in process time), there is no flexibility in the line to handle issues, and there is no management of WIP via Kanban or anything else. He also stacks the deck somewhat in the rolls of the dice to make his point. Students of lean principles know that balanced lines are possible w manufacturing using proper principles such a Kanban, demand pull, etc. If you have a limited amount of time to save your plant, here is a good prescription. If you want to revamp your manufacturing enterprise, you would do better to read "The Quantum Leap"
Rating:
Summary: The greatest business book I have ever read
Review: Tom Peters can't touch this. Goldratt has created the definitive book for managers of either manufacturing companies or service companies on getting focused on what really matters: the bottom line. His use of a novel format is extremely effective, and make the book a real page-turner. This was required reading in my wife's MBA program and I can now see why. So much of what we read from the business-book genre authors gets us away from the real goal - making money. Goldratt gets us there, but in a way that is deeply personal. Each of us can relate to the main character and the pressure he faces at work as well as at home. Don't waste your time on another business book until you read this one.
Rating:
Summary: Informative and Entertaining
Review: Told in first person in the form of an entertaining novel, Goldratt's "The Goal" is a popular book that explores ideas valuable to managing numerous business situations. We are placed into the life of plant manager Alex Rogo as he faces an immediate production crisis and the threat of plant closure. During a business trip, he has a chance encounter with manufacturing guru Jonah. Rogo's dialogue with this teacher as he wrestles with his own plant and it's manufacturing problems serves up a rich body of material that requires no background in manufacturing or assembly line processes. It remains interesting even as inventory management, assembly throughput, and bottleneck analyses take place in his quest to keep his plant in business. The use of a hiking trip to discuss fluctuations and dependencies as a scout troop progresses through the woods is superb, making "Herbie" a recognized name among many manufacturers. The book also provides a valuable illustration of the importance and impact of "choosing what to measure," that is, which numbers (production data) one should track to determine the effectiveness of an operation. Reading "The Goal" is well worth the time for anyone managing a business. Its principles are far-reaching and applicable in a wide variety of situations. Given its popularity, you can pretty much bet that your competitors have read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great mixture of business and entertainment
Review: This book ist great for learning basic concepts of production management. It combines entertainment with learning and is therefore a good recommendation for students in early business administration semesters.
| 
