Rating: 
Summary: Written the only way possible
Review: Goldratt wrote this book in the only form possible to convey the message. Since this book is fiction, but is based on common sense, the processes can be applied to almost any manufacturing, retailing, sales, etc. cycle. If this were written in text book fashion, the message would have been lost. This book was written "outside of the box" which makes you think in the same fashion.
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Summary: The goal just falls short
Review: The books is an excellent book and really make one think, other than Being Spoon fed. The book really shows the right picture of lack of uniformity in accounting measurements too. But you lose interest by the end of the book. otherwise i would ask everyone to read it once.
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Summary: Applicable to all sorts of processes...
Review: This is a novel about a manufacturing plant, of all things! Goldratt uses a novel format to provide a tutorial in systems (and systematic) thinking about business. The core point of the book is perhaps the single most important concept for executives to master: that to improve business performance, one must continuously monitor for bottlenecks in the associated business systems, and concentrate resources on debottlenecking these areas. Work on the bottlenecks! It seems so simple, but it is so often not addressed, and is a chronic cause of underperformance. Goldratt also demonstrates why getting the performance metrics right is absolutely critical. This book is just as relevant now as ever -- perhaps even more so since the concepts can be effectively applied to nearly all business processes, not just manufacturing, which was the original focus.
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Summary: Breaking down the walls of Cost Accounting
Review: Although this book is intended as a lesson for operations managers, the concepts taught proved invaluable to me as a Controller. The Goal teaches us that conventional cost accounting measurements are not a true indicator of the success or failure of a plant. Moreover, they can actually hinder improvements and rational decision making. The book teaches us to break out of the mold we have been stuck in for so long. Getting it on audio tapes was a plus, as it was a much more productive way to spend my drive home. To any accountant who has not read this book DO SO NOW, for your plant's sake!
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Summary: Goldratt is a MASTER!
Review: Written in the form of a novel, Goldratt picks apart tradidional industrial management techniques. I discovered this book while pursuing and Industrial Engineering degree, and it was the first thing that made sense. From costing to production and inventory control, and general problem solving, Goldratt puts everything in terms that anyone can understand. Want to read an enlightening interesting business book, different from the clutter out there, The Goal, and other Goldratt books are for you!
Rating: 
Summary: The Goal
Review: I'm with the last reviewer - how about Cliff Notes on this one
Rating:
Summary: Summary
Review: The book sounds very interesting. I want to read it but I have heard that it's around 370 pages. I don't have alot of time nowadays and I would apprecite it if someone...anyone could send me a summary of the book (preferrably 2 pages or so). I need this summary for school. I need two people's summary of the book that have read it and then when I read it..I give my summary and then compare and contrast the 3 different summaries. So if anyone out there could please send me a 2-3 page summary of this book to my e-mail address...so I can complete my paper for school...I would appreciate it so much. Thank you very much.
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Summary: A passionate introduction to manufacturing science
Review: It is very interesting novel. It is also a non-fiction on foundations of production management. The author achieves sufficient balance in narration. The basic focus is how to view the bottleneck production centers. He draws attention to philosophical flaws of traditional management's ( both production and accounting group) approach to this aspect. He leads to this analysis by discussing a camp trip of the hero with his son and his friends. The novel should have stopped with the possibility of hero's promotion as divisional manager. ( The discussion about theory of constraints is an essay. Trying to push that discussion spoils the climax of the novel).
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Summary: A good production management book...
Review: Overall, I think this book is pretty good in terms of production management; yet I'm still looking for ways to apply the learning into marketing.I think 'the Goal' is a very interesting book to read that it blends both business book and a novel. It talked about 'bottleneck', 'the theory of constraint' which are good lessons for me. Yet the tricky part is that I try to apply this learning back to my marketing work and I still find it difficult to do that. I try it on my project management, which I think it's closer to production management, but still didn't work out well (or I still didn't know a good way). If someone knows how to apply this learning to marketing-related tasks, I'll love to learn it. Net, recommend to BUY for business fundamental learning; yet NOT to buy if you wish this can also help you on marketing.
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Summary: Making Informed Decisions
Review: In its simplest form, The Goal is about making effective and informed decisions. The author, Eliyahu Goldratt, takes his readers on a very thorough, step-by-step discovery of the many fallacies and misconceptions invading much of the way today's society views and measures the production process. Gradratt conveys his message in novel form by relaying the struggles of a man, Alex Rogo, who is trying to figure out a way to not only save his career but also save his marriage. Goldratt's brilliance is displayed through his thoughtful description of the production process, the necessary changes to the process and his careful thought processes described in such a way so even a layman could understand. The author stimulates your thought processes and compels you to join Alex Rogo in his search for answers. At first glance, The Goal, seems to be an informative research about how to be successful. However, you quickly realize that you are caught up in the life of Alex Rogue, a plant manager, who does not even know if he will have a job in a few months and you become entranced in the story of his life and you want to continue reading. Alex makes some important discoveries in his journey through the production process that enhances and sharpens his critical thinking skills. These epiphanies are transformative not only to the Alex Rogo but also the reader. Realizing he had very little time left to make some very important changes, Alex Rogo remembered an old friend of his, named Jonah, which he had recently bumped into at an airport. They had chatted about the problems of the plant and Jonah asked him some very pointed questions that caused Alex to start thinking. Throughout the book Jonah never tells Alex what it is he needs to do, which would seem simple. Instead Jonah guides Alex in the right direction by using questions to keep him thinking along the right lines. Because Alex leads himself through his problems using logic and common sense his answers are simple, so simple he has a hard time finding them sometimes. For example, Alex had a very difficult time figuring out the link between dependent events and statistical fluctuations. However, after a thought provoking hiking trip with his son's Boy Scout troop he discovers some simple processes that he uses to help turn his plant in the right direction. Another interesting discovery he made involved identifying and treating the bottlenecks, secondly he found that he could do something about them. After discovering the bottlenecks and finding that the throughput of the bottlenecks was the throughput of the plant, Alex found ways to increase the capacity of the bottlenecks thereby increasing the bottom line. With some simple changes that went against all the standard universal manufacturing principles he was able to fill all of his late orders and start getting the products to the customers by the specified due date or perhaps a little earlier. Eliyahu Goldratt tactfully disseminates the common beliefs about today's production process. He demonstrates the side effects of these practices and illustrates the necessary changes in order for success. For example, when Alex and his staff realized that cutting the production lot size in half not only decreased inventory and increased throughput but also increased sales, they could promise shorter delivery times. One of the most amazing things about The Goal, which was aggravating at first, was that Goldratt never communicated the product that was being manufactured. This was a clever way of encouraging the reader to focus on the process and the decisions being made rather than the product itself. The author was communicating that these transformations can take place in any process by using informed decision making skills instead of relying on a current process. The previous decisions and processes that Alex Rogo was making were based on tradition not critical thinking. As he saw his job and the jobs of many others start to deteriorate he started thinking through the process very carefully and he found many errors and misconceptions in the current systematic approach. Alex proved to his company that common sense is certainly not to be ignored for the sake of tradition. Business students taking Operations Reseach/Management Science courses, will find The Goal to be very encompassing, bringing to light many unclear ideas about the production process as well as leaving them with enhanced critical thinking skills. The author conveyed, without expressly stating it, that it is important that you analyze why and how you are doing it and not to rely on the process to always be right. Most of the book I found myself contemplating the very issues in question, wondering if there really was an answer that would solve the problem or problems. And after a discovery would be made I would say to myself, of course! How could I have forgotten about... . Eliyahu Goldratt led me through the thoughts of Alex Rogo and I made the decision breakthroughs with Alex and became excited in the findings. I found this book to be a captivating reading assignment that sparked students interest and they many valuable lessons about managerial decision making.
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