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12th out of 246 books
—
417 voters
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
A fully dramatized version of the practical guide to business in fictional form offers an ensemble cast, accompanied by sound effects and music, that reveals how businesses can enhance productivity and provide personal fulfillment. Book available.
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
July 1st 2004
by North River Press
(first published 1984)
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Aug 15, 2007
Nathaniel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
all industrial engineers and process managers
Shelves:
engineering
The best process improvement novel I've seen, this classic work explains the all-important Theory of Constraints through real life examples and a surprisingly good story. Most books of this nature are exceptionally unrealistic, but this one manages to keep the reader engaged, which is key for an instructional text like this.
The book's lessons have some practicality in normal, everyday life, but its greatest utility is for those involved in process improvement in industries such as manufacturing,...more
The book's lessons have some practicality in normal, everyday life, but its greatest utility is for those involved in process improvement in industries such as manufacturing,...more
Herbie oh Herbie the bottleneck
I was forced to read this book for a business school course in operations management. I'll admit it was better than reading a 270 page textbook, but not by much. This "novel" by Eliyahu Goldratt is a poorly written and disguised book meant to teach all little first year b-school students about the joys of inventory management, bottlenecks, and throughputs. It is a thinly veiled, overly dramatic book which follows a plant manager, his love life, and his family prob...more
I was forced to read this book for a business school course in operations management. I'll admit it was better than reading a 270 page textbook, but not by much. This "novel" by Eliyahu Goldratt is a poorly written and disguised book meant to teach all little first year b-school students about the joys of inventory management, bottlenecks, and throughputs. It is a thinly veiled, overly dramatic book which follows a plant manager, his love life, and his family prob...more
Goldratt introduces the Theory of Constraints via this entertaining novel. I think this book is excellent if you are new to Operations. And I think the approach of telling a story rather reading a traditional text book is a good format.
It demonstrates why many traditional measurements and common intuition is wrong. The book revisits what the goal of a business should be and what is important to measure and control to achieve that goal. Through examples in the main character's personal life and...more
It demonstrates why many traditional measurements and common intuition is wrong. The book revisits what the goal of a business should be and what is important to measure and control to achieve that goal. Through examples in the main character's personal life and...more
I couldn't put this book down! I stayed up way to late reading it and digesting everything that was in it because its probably one of the few business books that I could read and relate to. I mean, how often is it that you come across a business book told as a story and the "moral of the story" is the freaking scientific method? That's just amazing if you ask me and books like this should be read by anyone who wants to make a difference in his/her career.
If you ask me, there should be a lot more...more
If you ask me, there should be a lot more...more
"What are we asking for? For the ability to answer three simple questions: ‘what to change?’, 'what to change to?', and 'how to cause the changes?' Basically what we are asking for is the most fundamental abilities one would expect from a manager. Think about it. If a manager does not know how to answer those three questions, is he or she entitled to be called manager?" (Page 337)
"Would we have had the courage to try to implement them if it weren't for the fact that we'd had to sweat to constru...more
"Would we have had the courage to try to implement them if it weren't for the fact that we'd had to sweat to constru...more
This is a terrible novel and a great business book. That's a little unfair, it's better to think of it as a novel which exists only to illustrate Goldratt's Theory of Constraints which sounds a little dry. So for my third attempt I'll say this is a book about a man fighting to turn a factory around from being overwhelmed with uncompleted orders and quality problems to a successful, thriving business. It's good fun and a great little read.
At the same time it takes a very simple insight, in this c...more
At the same time it takes a very simple insight, in this c...more
This was assigned reading when I was unwillingly 'volunteered' into an efficiency examination cadre in a small department in a biggish corporation. I approached this book with dread because I expected that I would be reading typical flowcharted MBA B.S. But I was surprised to see that Goldratt articulated and clarified some of the perceptions I've had about the business practices employed by my employer, a multi-billion dollar telecom company.
What Goodreads reviewers have commented on as his 'co...more
What Goodreads reviewers have commented on as his 'co...more
د. إلياهو قولدرات ، فيزيائي تحول إلى عالم إدارة الأعمال ، حصل على بكالوريوس العلوم من جامعة تل أبيب ، وعلى ماجستيرالعلوم و الدكتوراة في الفلسفة من جامعة بارإيلان ، و الجامعتان في إسرائيل. ويتضح من اعتماره الطاقية اليهودية دائما أنه متعصب ، و هو صاحب نظرية القيود التي سيأتي شرحها.
طبعا لا تنخرشون ، صورته في الكتاب قبل خمسة و عشرين عاما! :^).
قصة الكتاب:
بطل القصة هو Alex Rogo ، وهو مدير مصنع للإنتاج ضمن شركة ضخمة تسمى UniCo ، و يدفعك قولدرات في روايته هذه إلى التعاطف الشديد مع بطلها إل روقو ، و الذي...more
طبعا لا تنخرشون ، صورته في الكتاب قبل خمسة و عشرين عاما! :^).
قصة الكتاب:
بطل القصة هو Alex Rogo ، وهو مدير مصنع للإنتاج ضمن شركة ضخمة تسمى UniCo ، و يدفعك قولدرات في روايته هذه إلى التعاطف الشديد مع بطلها إل روقو ، و الذي...more
This is THE book that will improve your business
I have lost count of the number of people to whom I have recommended this book. Whatever area of management you find yourself in, and at every level from business studies student to CEO and CFO, you are bound to pick up something useful from "The Goal."
The story follows the complex life of Alex Rogo as he works at one problem after another. With the help of his old friend, Jonah, he identifies and solves problem after problem, on the road to saving...more
I have lost count of the number of people to whom I have recommended this book. Whatever area of management you find yourself in, and at every level from business studies student to CEO and CFO, you are bound to pick up something useful from "The Goal."
The story follows the complex life of Alex Rogo as he works at one problem after another. With the help of his old friend, Jonah, he identifies and solves problem after problem, on the road to saving...more
The book gives some introductory insight to how to efficiently run a
production plant using theory of constraints. If that is not exciting
enough then I do not know what... OK, to sweeten a deal add marital
problems and an overlong depiction of a boy scout hike.
But really I found this to be quite excellent introduction to
operational *research* and management *science*. The pedagogical parts
might be a bit slow but since most of these things were new to me it
wasn't too bad. Also what helped was that...more
production plant using theory of constraints. If that is not exciting
enough then I do not know what... OK, to sweeten a deal add marital
problems and an overlong depiction of a boy scout hike.
But really I found this to be quite excellent introduction to
operational *research* and management *science*. The pedagogical parts
might be a bit slow but since most of these things were new to me it
wasn't too bad. Also what helped was that...more
So I had to read this for my Project Management class, and was pleasantly surprised. The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt is a fictionalized account of one man's struggle to improve his company through the introduction of constraints management. Alex Rogo is a plant manager of a UniCo manufacturing factory, and is given a deadline of three months to improve operations. He begins engaging in a series of educational talks with his former Physics professor, Jonah. With Jonah's help, Rogo discovers “the...more
NOTES
Productivity: to accomplish something in terms of a goal
“The future of our business depends upon our ability to increase productivity”. -Peach
What is the Goal?
Original thoughts
Increase producitivity
Produce products
Power
Market share / Sales
Cost-effective purchasing
Supplying jobs
Quality
Quality & Efficiency
Technology / R&D
Communications
Customer satisfaction
Make Money
Three measurements essential to knowing whether company is making money
Net Profit
ROI
Cash flow
Make money by increasing net...more
Productivity: to accomplish something in terms of a goal
“The future of our business depends upon our ability to increase productivity”. -Peach
What is the Goal?
Original thoughts
Increase producitivity
Produce products
Power
Market share / Sales
Cost-effective purchasing
Supplying jobs
Quality
Quality & Efficiency
Technology / R&D
Communications
Customer satisfaction
Make Money
Three measurements essential to knowing whether company is making money
Net Profit
ROI
Cash flow
Make money by increasing net...more
http://pebbleinthestillwaters.blogspo...
http://booksmakelife.blogspot.in/2011...
Book Review: Goal by: Eliyahu M Goldratt: ~~Simply~Amazing~Novel~~
The Writers: Eliyahu M Goldratt, popularly known as Eli Goldratt is a renowned Guru in Western World for revolutionizing Industry World Concepts regarding relating “Costing and Production”. He conceptualized the Theory of Constraints (his another bestseller). His beauty is writing in a very interesting manner but in a crisp and crystal clear way. The w...more
http://booksmakelife.blogspot.in/2011...
Book Review: Goal by: Eliyahu M Goldratt: ~~Simply~Amazing~Novel~~
The Writers: Eliyahu M Goldratt, popularly known as Eli Goldratt is a renowned Guru in Western World for revolutionizing Industry World Concepts regarding relating “Costing and Production”. He conceptualized the Theory of Constraints (his another bestseller). His beauty is writing in a very interesting manner but in a crisp and crystal clear way. The w...more
This is an engrossing read and an ambitious attempt to give pointers on how to run a business with a combination of clear thinking and straightforward analysis. Anyone involved in business often can't see the wood from the trees because the trees are generally falling on top of them. Standing back, and seeing things from a new perspective, is a luxury when every time you try and do it, you step in something smelly. In this book, which reads like a novel, a plant manager drowning in complexity wh...more
I started this book last night and couldn't put it down. Suddenly it was 2am. This is one of those business books that aim to teach you something by telling you a story. As a novel, it's not all that interesting - "The sweeping tale of a middle manager in middle America, trying to save his marriage...and his factory!" Or something like that. But, as an introduction to the concepts and application of the Theory of Constraints, it's fascinating. This is one of those books that will, if you really...more
I remember thinking of the basic idea of the theory of constraints before I read the book. I was really eager to see (1) what more I could learn about the idea and (2)if I could figure a way to make money with what I thought, what I knew. This work is not a contribution to the art of the novel, but the fictional form was a pleasing package for a book about operations research, statistics and accounting. I'm a lawyer with a B.A. in philosophy, but even I had observed the weirdness of cost account...more
A long winded account of how to make money from factory operations which could have been condensed to a few chapters rather than embedded in a family epic tale. The central premise is to focus less on efficiency, utilization and cost per parts, and instead to focus on increasing throughput (dollars generated through sales), decreasing inventory (dollars invested in things intended to sell) and reducing operational expenses (dollars spent to convert inventory to throughput). This requires a focus...more
This was a very unique, interesting little book. The author has developed "The Theory of Constraints" (which is a factory that can produce a product only as fast as its slowest bottleneck) and put it in novel form in order to explain it to the average worker. Lots of food for thought.
I see that bottlenecks exist all around us, not just in manufacturing. We move forward in finances, careers, projects, etc. only as fast as our weakest link will allow.
The key is to be able to identify constraints,...more
I see that bottlenecks exist all around us, not just in manufacturing. We move forward in finances, careers, projects, etc. only as fast as our weakest link will allow.
The key is to be able to identify constraints,...more
Fundamental. A must read. Rather than focusing on a component that appears to be the problem, this book, built upon what must obviously be general systems thinking, teaches the ideas of observing a system to understand a component constraint to improve system performance. Written in an easy to read, comprehensible story form that anyone can understand. And while many people may perceive the Theory of Constraints to be manufacturing focused, it is not. Abstract the principles to other supply and...more
Lousy novel. Great business book. From someone that worked in manufacturing plants full of bottlenecks, this book really spoke to me. There were times that I could directly tie situations I had seen to the plot of the book.
Now in the 30+ years since the book was published a lot has changed. "Japan, Inc" isn't the manufacturing/business juggernaut anymore, lean manufacturing and JIT techniques are accepted phenomena. But just because that is true, the plant form environment has not changed as on...more
Now in the 30+ years since the book was published a lot has changed. "Japan, Inc" isn't the manufacturing/business juggernaut anymore, lean manufacturing and JIT techniques are accepted phenomena. But just because that is true, the plant form environment has not changed as on...more
This is the second time that i am reading this book. The first was for my MBA, hence it did not get the required treatment from me. This time, it was to understand it better.
Many reviewers have critisized the novel aspect of Dr. Goldratt's book. And rightly so. The plot is very thin and the characters are very basic. However, the purpose of this book is to introduce the concept and theory of constraints. Introducing such a tough topic using a fictitious factory example with the travails of the m...more
Many reviewers have critisized the novel aspect of Dr. Goldratt's book. And rightly so. The plot is very thin and the characters are very basic. However, the purpose of this book is to introduce the concept and theory of constraints. Introducing such a tough topic using a fictitious factory example with the travails of the m...more
Book #58 of 2011
Actually had to read this for class, but I read it front to back so...
This was better than a lot of "business books" which, although I find business itself interesting... I find books about business usually put me to sleep. Or give me a headache. But this was written as a narrative, so there was just enough interest that I could read the beast of a book in a few days time. So, the information was presented in an interesting way, for the most part. But unless you are interested in...more
Actually had to read this for class, but I read it front to back so...
This was better than a lot of "business books" which, although I find business itself interesting... I find books about business usually put me to sleep. Or give me a headache. But this was written as a narrative, so there was just enough interest that I could read the beast of a book in a few days time. So, the information was presented in an interesting way, for the most part. But unless you are interested in...more
So this book is a must-read for any professional in an operations role. And I mean any operations role, not just manufacturing. There is an approach to life here that is important not to miss: have a goal, and then do what is necessary to reach that goal. Avoid extraneous activities that don't help you accomplish your goal.
The story is fairly well-written, although at times you can tell Goldratt is trying to pack in data/specifics into the story for their academic value only. However, this was w...more
The story is fairly well-written, although at times you can tell Goldratt is trying to pack in data/specifics into the story for their academic value only. However, this was w...more
If you're looking for an entertaining read about business, this is not it. The characters are annoying, flat, and in Amy says terrible.
If you want a fictionalized account of how someone implemented a workflow process, and how you may be able to do the same with your organization, then yeah, go ahead and read this. In fact, I'd say the book would be better were you to skip all the parts about his marriage. Really, they're terrible.
This is basically the story of a plant manager whose plant and m...more
If you want a fictionalized account of how someone implemented a workflow process, and how you may be able to do the same with your organization, then yeah, go ahead and read this. In fact, I'd say the book would be better were you to skip all the parts about his marriage. Really, they're terrible.
This is basically the story of a plant manager whose plant and m...more
First, I will preface this with the fact that this is a business book that I was required to read in my MBA program. With that said, however; this book truly reads like a novel and I didn't even realize that I was learning something until I started relating it to my company and our current tribulations about a third of the way through the book.
I would rate myself an " eager and willing novice" when it comes to lean practices and have seen the positive effect of implementation in both a plant as...more
I would rate myself an " eager and willing novice" when it comes to lean practices and have seen the positive effect of implementation in both a plant as...more
This is one of Kelly's textbooks for his MBA. I picked it up, and I started reading. I would probably give it a 3 1/2 star rating. I liked it because I could understand the business world. It made sense to me even though I don't have any business background. The main character has 3 months to turn a manufacturing plant around, or the plant will be closed. It was interesting to see and understand how he did it. His marriage and family life is in turmoil also. The one thing I did not like about it...more
Good read if you're interested in an introduction to the theory of constraints in an entertaining way. He does a great job of explaining the ideas behind TOC, though the story he weaves is quite predictable. In fact, you have to get towards the end to really appreciate the ideas behind TOC. The idea that "common-practice is not always common-sense" was interesting and the fact that most of the time we're stuck in common-practice because challenging and thinking about our assumptions is hard work...more
Because I'm a nerd, I participated in a voluntary lunchtime guided course at work and this was one of the two or three books we read and discussed. I was the only non-engineer in attendance from what I remember, but that's not important. It was more of a focused book club meeting than anything, but alas, The Goal itself wasn't that bad. The guy leading our group had once been a professor at the Air Force Academy and did a good job of relating the book to my work center at the time--a research la...more
One of the best management science books i have ever come across. It really helped me to understand how i've been limiting by profit reaping ability in my own business.
Of course, implementation and correction is a completely different matter, at least its given me a great insight.
I really like the fact that its written in story form, and i certainly do feel that if it wasnt written as a normal business book, i may not have learned so much or enough.
Its a must read for everyone that is having iss...more
Of course, implementation and correction is a completely different matter, at least its given me a great insight.
I really like the fact that its written in story form, and i certainly do feel that if it wasnt written as a normal business book, i may not have learned so much or enough.
Its a must read for everyone that is having iss...more
I read this book after a recommendation from an accounting professor at Utah State, and I've got to admit, I think this is one of the better business books I've read. Ha, I surprise myself in making this admission, but I really couldn't put it down.
The style is engaging and although it's a bit dated in terms of technology (these days you would deal with an inbox of email not telephone slips), the underlying business ideas of increasing efficiency/effectiveness and the challenges most managers f...more
The style is engaging and although it's a bit dated in terms of technology (these days you would deal with an inbox of email not telephone slips), the underlying business ideas of increasing efficiency/effectiveness and the challenges most managers f...more
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Eli Goldratt is an educator, author, scientist, philosopher, and business leader. But he is, first and foremost, a thinker who provokes others to think. Often characterized as unconventional, stimulating, and "a slayer of sacred cows," Dr. Goldratt exhorts his audience to examine and reassess their business practices with a fresh, new vision.
He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Tel Aviv...more
More about Eliyahu M. Goldratt...
He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Tel Aviv...more
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“So this is the goal: To make money by increasing net profit, while simultaneously increasing return on investment, and simultaneously increasing cash flow.”
—
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“More importantly, our software worked. I don't just mean that it didn't bump, or that it performed according to the written specifications, or that it was efficient in producing reports. It really worked”
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