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The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement - 30th Anniversary Edition Paperback – June 1, 2012


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Written in a fast-paced thriller style, 'The Goal' contains a serious message for all managers in industry and explains the ideas which underline the Theory of Constraints developed by the author.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A survey of the reading habits of managers found that though they buy books by the likes of Tom Peters for display purposes, the one management book they have actually read from cover to cover is The Goal." -- The Economist "Anybody who considers himself a manager should rush out, buy and devour this book immediately. If you are the only one in your place to have read it, your progress along the path to the top may suddenly accelerate...one of the most outstanding business books I have ever encountered." --Punch Magazine "Like Mrs. Fields and her cookies, The Goal was too tasty to remain obscure. Companies began buying big batches and management schools included it in their curriculums." --Fortune Magazine "This theory provided a persuasive solution for factories struggling with production delays and low revenues." --Harvard Business Review

About the Author

Eliyahu M. Goldratt was an educator, author, physicist, philosopher and business leader, but first and foremost, he was a thinker who provoked others to think. Characterized as unconventional, stimulating, and "a slayer of sacred cows," he urged his audience to examine and reassess their business practices with a fresh, new vision. Dr. Goldratt is best known as the father of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), a process of ongoing improvement that continuously identifies and leverages a system’s constraints in order to achieve its goals. He introduced TOC’s underlying concepts in his business novel, The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement, which has been recognized as one of the best-selling business books of all time. First published in 1984, The Goal has been updated three times and sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. It has been translated into 32 languages. Heralded as a "guru to industry" by Fortune magazine and “a genius” by Business Week, Dr. Goldratt continued to advance the TOC body of knowledge throughout his life, building on the Five Focusing Steps (known as the process of ongoing improvement or POOGI) with TOC-derived tools such as Drum-Buffer-Rope, Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) and the Thinking Processes. He authored ten other TOC-related books, including four business novels. Born in Israel on March 31, 1947, Dr. Goldratt earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Tel Aviv University, and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from Bar-Ilan University. He is the founder of TOC for Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing TOC Thinking and TOC tools to teachers and their students, and Goldratt Consulting. In addition to his pioneering work in business management and education, Dr. Goldratt holds patents in a number of areas ranging from medical devices to drip irrigation to temperature sensors. He died on June 11, 2011, at the age of 64.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0884271951
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ North River Press; 3rd Revised, 30th Anniversary ed. edition (June 1, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 408 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780884271956
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0884271956
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.28 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

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Eliyahu M. Goldratt
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Eliyahu M. Goldratt was an educator, author, physicist, philosopher and business leader, but first and foremost, he was a thinker who provoked others to think. Characterized as unconventional, stimulating, and "a slayer of sacred cows," he urged his audience to examine and reassess their business practices with a fresh, new vision.

Dr. Goldratt is best known as the father of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), a process of ongoing improvement that continuously identifies and leverages a system’s constraints in order to achieve its goals. He introduced TOC’s underlying concepts in his business novel, The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement, which has been recognized as one of the best-selling business books of all time. First published in 1984, The Goal has been updated three times and sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. It has been translated into 32 languages.

Heralded as a "guru to industry" by Fortune magazine and “a genius” by Business Week, Dr. Goldratt continued to advance the TOC body of knowledge throughout his life, building on the Five Focusing Steps (known as the process of ongoing improvement or POOGI) with TOC-derived tools such as Drum-Buffer-Rope, Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) and the Thinking Processes. He authored ten other TOC-related books, including four business novels.

Born in Israel on March 31, 1947, Dr. Goldratt earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Tel Aviv University, and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from Bar-Ilan University. He is the founder of TOC for Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing TOC Thinking and TOC tools to teachers and their students, and Goldratt Consulting. In addition to his pioneering work in business management and education, Dr. Goldratt holds patents in a number of areas ranging from medical devices to drip irrigation to temperature sensors. He died on June 11, 2011, at the age of 64.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
7,604 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the story amazing, easy to read, and well-composed. They also describe the content as engaging yet informative, and a business novel. Readers say the book is fantastic for understanding process bottlenecks and non-bottlenecks, throughput, value, and lean manufacturing principals.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

433 customers mention "Content"429 positive4 negative

Customers find the book engaging yet informative, relatable, and a magnificent piece of literature. They say the core ideas are very solid and the book provides practical advice on how to improve businesses. Readers also mention that the book incorporates personal details from the main character's life, making it a good one for your collection.

"...The Goal by Goldratt is a magnificent piece of literature where industrial engineering student can see how the different techniques learned in class..." Read more

"...to industry logistics, "The Goal" offers timeless lessons on enhancing productivity and operational effectiveness...no wonder it's one of the books..." Read more

"...supplement a MBA Operations course i was taking and found it lends some useful concepts...." Read more

"...It incorporates personal details from the main character's life, which makes the whole book feel more like a nonfiction story and less like a..." Read more

382 customers mention "Story"382 positive0 negative

Customers find the story amazing, fun to understand, and sound like good general principles.

"...I believe that it is definitely worth the time reading this book; thanks to this book, I feel better prepared as an engineer." Read more

"...practical business strategies, making complex concepts accessible and engaging...." Read more

"Very engaging book that melds plant operations/activity scheduling into a fable that had lessons for project management and successful operation of..." Read more

"The Goal is an outstanding book for any manager or anyone working in the improvement arena...." Read more

250 customers mention "Readability"228 positive22 negative

Customers find the book easy to read, follow along in the story, and fast-paced. They also appreciate the novel form, which engages the reader's intellect, emotions, and senses. Readers recommend the book to anyone who enjoys thoughtful, suspenseful novels that are easy to digest.

"...However, this book turned to be a marvelous composition. The reader is always interested in the topic, and one can feel like being part of the plot...." Read more

"...No longer burdened, Herbie speeds up. Throughput soars and inventory stays low.Chapter 16..." Read more

"...makes the whole book feel more like a nonfiction story and less like a textbook...." Read more

"...It is an easy read, yet one that truly exposes the means to improving the bottom line." Read more

35 customers mention "Understandability"29 positive6 negative

Customers find the book fantastic for understanding process bottlenecks, throughput, value, and how to manage flow. They also say it's the best introduction to flow management, production processes, constraints, and lean manufacturing principals.

"...chapter of the book, more or less, the concept of bottlenecks was beautifully simplified to be able to be applied by almost anyone—technical degree..." Read more

"This book is fantastic for understanding process bottlenecks & non-bottlenecks, throughput, value and how they all relate...." Read more

"...Concepts like throughput and bottlenecks are made easy to understand because the characters in the story explain them to each other...." Read more

"...The concept of removing bottlenecks was done well...." Read more

28 customers mention "Comedy"6 positive22 negative

Customers find the book boring and not good by any means. They also say the transfer perspective fails miserably and is not producing the profits that corporate would like to see.

"...As a reader of fiction, it is horrible. You don't know why these characters are in love in the first place and their reconciliation is unbelievable...." Read more

"Not the most entertaining book. But there is a purpose behind it. Definitely has a really good message." Read more

"...For example, from an information transfer perspective it fails miserably...." Read more

"Funny, real, relevant, and useful for middle and upper management...." Read more

20 customers mention "Narrative"0 positive20 negative

Customers find the narrative repetitive, didactic, and corny. They also say the story is repetitive and didactic.

"...The problem is that it is a didactic novel. That means it is teaching you something. And in that role, it is often very heavy handed...." Read more

"...The story is a little contrived, but much more interesting than sitting through a lecture and/or mathematical proof...." Read more

"...felt like the author wrapped up the book in a rush, leaving the end of the story dry and unfinished." Read more

"...on I found it to be a somewhat dull read, because the narrative arc lost its compelling power. But still glad I read it, and did learn from it." Read more

The Goal is Masterful, Meaningful, Mandatory. WebNutrients Production Process Fixed!
5 out of 5 stars
The Goal is Masterful, Meaningful, Mandatory. WebNutrients Production Process Fixed!
Goldratt is a masterful storyteller.More valuable: His stories will guide you to much greater effectiveness AND efficiency in your production processes.Actually, anything that requires moving Piece-A to Area-B, and understanding why Constraints are both a problem and a solution.One of the great takaways for me was: People are not made to work at 100% all day.I didn't expect a lesson in the limits of human capacity. But Eli crafts such an incredible story (not unlike something Einstein or Feynman might share in a presentation or dream sequence).Introduced to this work in the late 80's, as I was trying to find a way out of 80+ hour workweeks, The Goal became my guide to manufacturing process efficiencies.In an earlier decade, my Dad performed Time and Motion studies (as described by Gilbreth and Taylor) for Alcoa Aluminum. He would love this piece. If T&M Studies provided efficiencies in manufacturing. The Theory of Constraints provided a roadmap to humanizing the workplace even further. While increasing throughput like nothing else before it.We use it as a guide in our own manufacturing processes for WebNutrients Custom Blended Supplements. By applying these approaches Goldratt outlines, we've improved production nearly 800%.I encourage you to use the book (and the one following: It's Not Luck, also by Goldratt) as guides to your own very human performance improvements.You can thank me later.To your great success!
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2014
When I was first assigned to read this book, I thought it was going to be a purely theoretical material. I thought it was going to be a book difficult to read and/or keep me interested to continue reading. However, this book turned to be a marvelous composition. The reader is always interested in the topic, and one can feel like being part of the plot. This book is a perfect combination of a narrative, and an explanation. The author dedicated the time and effort to make sure that anyone, who grabs this book and reads it, will be able to clearly understand the material presented. As an industrial engineering student, we are focused on improving an existent process and/or system in a facility. Moreover, we are provided with a broad set of techniques that can be utilized in accomplishing this purpose. The Goal by Goldratt is a magnificent piece of literature where industrial engineering student can see how the different techniques learned in class are applied into a real world problem.
In The Goal, Goldratt also provides the reader with a description and an example of how to apply the Theory of Constraints. Alex Rogo, a plant engineer at UniCo Manufacturing, is presented with a complex problem; he has several months of orders overdue and his plant is not capable of delivering any order in time. Therefore, Bill Peach, Alex’s boss, tells him that he has only three months to turn his plant around. As a result, Alex and his team start working in finding a solution; however, they are not capable to find it without the help of Jonah, Alex’s Physics professor. Nonetheless, it is important to mention that Jonah does not provide Alex with immediate solutions; instead, he uses the Socratic Method to teach Alex how to be able to localize the bottlenecks and non-bottlenecks of his process and to determine the goal of his plant. Therefore, after spending several days thinking about what the goal is, he is finally able to define it as “Reducing operational expenses and inventory while increasing throughput” (Goldratt 87). Jonah also teaches Alex that in every company there is dependent events and statistical fluctuations that affect the process. According to the Theory of Constraints, one must identify the bottleneck and then work around it; in other words, one must take into account the bottleneck in order to increase throughput and ultimately reach the goal. Jonah, however, after providing Alex with enough help, he takes a step back on his role and forces Alex to learn how to be able to identify the bottlenecks on his own and what approach or process to use to fix the bottlenecks. At the end, Alex finally understands that it is of utmost importance for any individual to be able to answer three questions: “‘what to change?’, ‘what to change to?’, and ‘how to cause a change?’” (Goldratt 337).
Overall, The Goal is a magnificent work that I highly recommend to any individual to read in order to understand more about the Theory of Constraints and how to become a better manager. I deeply believe that any individual who reads this book will be greatly benefited from the material presented; in my personal experience, I am pleased that I was able to read this book since I was given the opportunity to add a new technique to my engineering toolbox. I encourage any reader that is uncertain whether or not to buy this book to purchase it. I believe that it is definitely worth the time reading this book; thanks to this book, I feel better prepared as an engineer.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2024
This book stands out as a transformative book in the world of business and operations management. It rejuvenates Eliyahu M. Goldratt’s revolutionary Theory of Constraints with fresh insights and contemporary applications. This book does an exceptional job of integrating educational narratives with practical business strategies, making complex concepts accessible and engaging. It's not just a book but a tool that continues to influence efficient business practices globally. Whether you're a seasoned manager or a newcomer to industry logistics, "The Goal" offers timeless lessons on enhancing productivity and operational effectiveness...no wonder it's one of the books recommended by Jeff Bezos.
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2024
A disclaimer: This review is based off the audiobook version, the text version may differ slightly.

For anyone with an interest in Operations this is a must-read. I picked this up to supplement a MBA Operations course i was taking and found it lends some useful concepts.

If you're looking for a book with a lot of formulas or step-by-step instructions you are going to be disappointed. This is a novel designed to make the reader think through the problem along with the characters.

I give it 4/5 stars because it is starting to show its age. Written 40 years ago it does not address the technological advances of the last 4 decades.

Additionally the author tries to dip into the realm of the characters personal life and unfortunately relies on some outdated stereotypes.

While I believe it's still important for students of business to read and understand the concepts, without an updated addition some of the topics needs additional contextualization for a younger audience.

For anyone born later then 1990 this book may seem a little too much of an anachronism to be effectual.
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2024
Very engaging book that melds plant operations/activity scheduling into a fable that had lessons for project management and successful operation of manufacturing facilities as well as successful project management. Would recommend this book to anyone interested in effective and efficient operations management without the mathematical principles required for this discipline.

Top reviews from other countries

Cesar Arredondo
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
Reviewed in Mexico on August 17, 2021
Totally recommended, You would enjoy this book while readingit, like if You were inside the company and living it in a real way.
Cliente Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece
Reviewed in Germany on June 7, 2024
It's ahead of it's time. It has been written bearing factories in mind; nevertheless, it applies to any context where constraints apply. I work in software engineering, by the way, and I still deem it very relevant to the field.
Shashank Chattopadhyaya
5.0 out of 5 stars Great reading experience (Kindle)
Reviewed in India on May 16, 2024
I bought the Kindle edition and it was great reading through this novel. Goldratt creates a beautiful narrative to teach theory of Constraints. He makes it so easy to catch the underlying principle of the Theory. I also lo e "Herbie" :)
David McArdle
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on the beginnings of TOC
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2023
If you want to start in TOC, then look no further. Read this and then go from there. Excellent book!
abder rhounimi
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in France on December 5, 2022
Great book for people that are involved in business.