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Summary: A great first management book
Review: This book hides an important management theory under a novel about a new plant manager. The story builds on the theory as the manager applies the theory to turn around his factory.What's the theory?:
Organizations tend to suboptimize systems locally, often at the expense of the system as whole. Maximizing the benefit of the system as a whole means tracing problems to root causes, or bottlenecks spanning organizations. How is it applied?:
In a factory, many departments or machines are fine tuned for efficiency. This means keeping lots of inventory around to keep the machines running fulltime, even if the product isn't needed. The solution - begin with what's important for a factory - getting money for finished products, and minimizing money tied up in inventory. Then drive out efficiency in the system as a whole by attacking bottlenecks one at a time. Local measures cease to be as important. How does this apply to Just in Time and Total Quality Management?:
Just In Time's inventory reduction is consistent with the approach of holding just enough inventory to keep the system tuned. Total Quality Management is a process focused approach. This ties in to approaching bottlenecks with the end in mind. On a personal level, this was the first management book I read in the working world. It was given to me by our local "Quality" expert, and I read it in a night. I highly recommend it as a first for you too. If you're into more theory and less story, you may be better served by one of his other books.
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Summary: Good for all managers
Review: At the time of writing, lots of companies, no matter they are large or small, are facing critical issues like declining profits, rising inventories and lower returns on investment. Especially for most of us working in the corporate sector, executives are still being demanded to produce more with fewer headcounts, or to bring in more revenues with less resources. Under various constraints, we should try new ways to look at our business and to meet all ends. Therefore, I anticipate The Goal to be your good companion when you are screaming for help. The Goal, as quoted from the introduction, is about new global principles of manufacturing. The principles themselves, however, are applicable in all industries and companies including the property sector we are serving. Instead of presenting the Theory of Constraints in the form of typical textbook, the author used a novel to narrate the story concerning the manufacturing plant that he was managing. The first chapter started with a backlog of an overdue order from an important client whereas his divisional manager was announcing that the plant was on the verge of being closed by the head office if the author (plant manager) was unable to turn it around in three months' time. The story was closely followed with the marital friction between him and his wife, which was almost turned into separation. And in the middle of the book, he was step-by-step guided by his physic professor, Jonah, on how he could solve the plant's problems. In this novel there are intermingled high dramas of the author's racing against time, 3 months, to rescue the company and his marriage, but I would leave you to find the conclusion of this wonderful book.
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Summary: First time factory manager
Review: As a first time factory manager, after the elation of getting the job wore off, I was faced with the, "Now what do I do?" to get this place running. "The Goal" gave me an excellent insight into the steps that had to be made in order to change not only the factory floor, but also how to approach pricing/sales and HR. I manage a small factory in China and, while the book's English was too advanced to give to my manager's to read, they readily identified with the concept of bottlenecks in production and the idea of every department being involved in the sale, or "engineering" a sale when faced with tight price or delivery requirements. This fit in nicely with the concept of identifying your internal customer - a truly revolutionary idea in a country where customer service is in its infancy. Besides demonstrating in story-format how to make shop improvements, it is an excellent guide into how to motivate your managers by NOT giving them the answers, but leading them to make the discovery on their own. A throw back to freshman philosophy class, for sure, but now you can be happy that 3 credit hours wasn't a complete waste. Today, we have "idea ownership" from the floor on up with noticeable and, for the cost accountants, tangible, dollar cost savings. A great read and an excellent, simple book to always keep on hand. I find it especially useful, even after my third read, to go to as a motivational tool, especially after a major problem sneaks up and ruins your day.
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Summary: A depart from the boring books of MBA studies
Review: Wow! Ive never had time to give feedback on these types of things but...this was probably the single best business related book, I have ever read and feel compelled to do so less than 2mins after reading the last page. Thankyou! I couldnt wait to turn the next page. It is a great business story, and gives you something to think about around process management, and the way we all need to redefine different processes.....Most of all though , I really appreciated the way Al's(the key character) was pulled not only by different personality types, and politics, at plant, but in the home front as well. The ongoing trials with his wife(who left him) and the tugs as well as the insights of his kids..really made the book more applicable to real life, and a true pleasure to read...I had a hard time putting it down.
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Summary: Novel Ideas About Process Improvement
Review: Goldratt has been an especially prolific author in recent years. This is the first of three books; the others are It's Not Luck (1997) and Critical Chain (1997). He wrote this book with Jeff Cox, author of Zapp!: The Lightening of Empowerment: How to Improve Quality, Productivity, and Employee Satisfaction. All decision-makers in organizations (regardless of their size or nature) are constantly preoccupied with improving cycle time, first pass yield and on-time delivery inorder to increase productivity and thereby increase profits. Many of them, perhaps, have a difficult time grasping the core concepts of process improvement systems such as Six Sigma. Goldratt has written a novel in which he provides an analysis of those concepts as applied in a fictional company. He has a cast of characters, a plot, and a context. He relies heavily on dialogue to advance the narrative. As in any other well-written novel, The Goal examines issues in dispute which create conflicts. Ultimately they are resolved, albeit somewhat too neatly. Although of greatest relevance to manufacturing companies, Goldratt's Theory of Constraints (with appropriate modifications) can also be of substantial value to other companies with "bottlenecks" which also delay and often disrupt a process of some kind. Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to read Goldratt's other two; also, to check out David Mistress Practice What You Preach and David Whyte's The Heart Aroused. With all due respect to the core concepts of process improvement, they are worthless unless and until embraced by everyone in the given workforce. Master and Whyte can help managers to achieve that "buy in."
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Summary: THE GOAL... The Bible for the manufacturing process!!!!
Review: The Goal of any company is to make money!!!
The Goal does a great job in explaining the on-going process improvement which is sought out by many manufacturing plants. It defines TOC, Q.C., and the five steps of process improvement clearly and precisely for the readers. Dr. Eliyahu M.Goldratt and Jeff Cox explain these ideas thoroughly and in depth so that the reader may understand exactly how these ideas function in the manufacturing process. The Goal starts out with the main character, Al Rogo who is on the verge of losing his plant due to loss of profits. He goes through many thought processes and ends up with the five steps of on going process improvement at the end: 1.In order to manage a constraint, it is first necessary to identify it.
2. Once the constraint is identified, the next step is to focus on how to get more production within the existing capacity limitations.
3.Exploiting the constraint does not insure that the materials needed next by the constraint will always show up on time.
4. After the constraint is identified, the available capacity is exploited, and the non-constraint resources have been subordinated, the next step is to determine if the output of the constraint is enough to supply market demand.
5.Once the output of the constraint is no longer the factor that limits the rate of fulfilling orders, it is no longer the constraint. Step 5 is to go back to Step 1 and identify the new constraint - because there always is one. The five step process is then repeated. The Goal is an educational novel from a manufacturing standpoint, which discusses the on-going need for quality improvement in everyday manufacturing plants. This is a well-written novel, which concentrates on the major aspects of the manufacturing processes such as TOC and Q.C. Many people could benefit from this book, especially industry managers such as Al Rogo in The Goal. I would highly recommend this novel to my colleagues, co-workers as well as family members. It is one of the best written business oriented novels around! (I think this is one of the few manufacturing books that keeps you awake due to Goldratt's ingenuity of integrating the personal life of the main character (Al Rogo) as well as his work life in this book!!!)=)
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Summary: Very educational and readable
Review: From reviews and recommendations, I knew I'd learn a lot from this book. However, I thought it was going to be painfully dry, or a bit gimicky. I was surprised to find that it was incredibly readable! In fact, I had trouble putting it down. And, of course, I learned a lot. In the book, the main character figures out how to save his manufacturing plant by using a logical thought process to figure out what's going wrong and how to improve it, questioning the current procedures. Although it takes place at a manufactoring plant, the book is really about how to think and approach problems. I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Great managment novel, needs a little more at the end.......
Review: I found "The Goal" to be a very readable management book/novel. It has numerous excellent points throughout, but at the end it left me hanging a little. Would like to have had more thoughts from the author on the points he was trying to make. For someone just starting out with management, it would be difficult to pick up on some of the points whereas seasoned personnel will pick up on some of the minor points easily. Overall thought it is excellent to read with a lot of good points, just needs more!
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Summary: One of the best
Review: I read this book when I was in undergraduate school and once again when I had great trouble with a production line. While rather empirical, the story is very useful, and can be put directly into use. In many points of the book, I felt as I were sitting on Rogo's chair and trying to solve his problems. Eliyahu Goldratt introduces us to the Theory of Constraints, which must be understood by anyone who plans to act in any managerial role.
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Summary: Couldn't put it down!!!!
Review: I read this book in one sitting (which for me is a miracle). I thought I was reading about me! This book hits home for anyone in operations management, regardless of your type of business. Although the book focuses on manufacturing, most business operations posess dependent events and statistical variation, which is a key element of TOC. We are already implementing throughput improvements in our primarily construction business based upon the lessons learned here. I also recommend Critical Chain, as it specifically addresses project management practices.
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