Ratings33
Average rating4
The Goal is about new global principles of manufacturing. It's about people trying to understand what makes their world tick so that they can make it better. As they think logically and consistently about their problems they are able to determine "cause and effect" relationships between their actions and the results. In the process they deduce some basic principles which they use to save their plant and make it successful. Used by thousands of companies and hundreds of business schools, this book is required reading for anyone interested in the Theory of Constraints. This book, which introduces the Theory of Constraints, is changing how America does business. The Goal is a gripping, fast-paced business novel about overcoming the barriers to making money. You will learn the fundamentals of identifying and solving the problems created by constraints. From the moment you finish the book you will be able to start successfully addressing chronic productivity and quality problems. - Publisher.
Reviews with the most likes.
Fiction, about a guy who runs a failing factory, and via as series of dialogues with a mysterious mentor and his team, figures out how to transform it into the star plant in the division. I was a bit sceptical about the story format, but it really works - an entertaining and yet highly educational and elightening introduction to Theory of Constraints (TOC) - basically all about identifying and attacking bottlenecks in your production process. Superb.
The graphic move is faster to read than the novel, but I missed the depth of character that the novel provided. This version is missing the characterization, and thus it's missing some of the soul of the original work.
First read this in the 1980's. Lot of lessons here, even for software development.
A process management technique in the form of a novel. The protagonist is an industrial plant manager who learns by doing and slowly transforms his factory's production line according to the principles of the Theory of Constraints. And you learn alongside him. A lot of this is very on the nose, the side plot with his wife is cringeworthy and aged terribly, but I still got a lot out of this. A basic understanding for the workings of an (oldschool) industrial plant, but mainly lots of thoughts about how to apply the model of bottlenecks, inventory and throughput to other domains. I found this because it was recommended by an electronics youtuber, who named [b:The Soul of a New Machine 7090 The Soul of a New Machine Tracy Kidder https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627012239l/7090.SY75.jpg 882196] as one of his favorites (agreed). The other book I ordered based on his recommendations is [b:Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed 101438 Skunk Works A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed Ben R. Rich https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344267416l/101438.SY75.jpg 97803]. Totally different domain, but this also reminded me of [b:The Wealthy Barber: The Common Sense Guide to Successful Financial Planning 2674 The Wealthy Barber The Common Sense Guide to Successful Financial Planning David Chilton https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387743550l/2674.SY75.jpg 1798835]. What's the name of this genre? Educational fiction? Low-quality-fiction-but-high-quality-education?