by Paul Simister
on October 5, 2017
There isn’t an extended title with this book, it’s just
“The Choice“
written by Eli Goldratt and his daughter.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I rated this as a FIVE stars book, which means I think it is excellent.
Here is what I posted.
The most important Goldratt book? A look at the importance of inherent simplicity
I was reading the transcript of an interview with Eli Goldratt, the main author behind the Theory of Constraints and he described this as his most important book.
More important that The Goal?Before I read The Choice, I was sceptical but now I have read it, I can understand why Goldratt said it. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on October 5, 2017
In my review of
Late Night Discussions on the Theory of Constraints
by Eliyahu Goldratt posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars, meaning Worthwhile.
Here is my book review.
Not The Place To Start Your Theory Of Constraints Experience
This is a series of conversations between two of the stars of The Goal, Alex, the plant manager and Jonah, the mysterious business guru. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on October 2, 2017
The full title of the book written by Eliyahu Goldratt and with Ilan Eshkoli and Joe Brownleer is
“Isn’t It Obvious?: A Business Novel on Retailing Using the Theory of Constraints“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the FOUR Stars level which means I think it is good to very good.
Here is what I wrote.
TOC in a retail setting with wider lessons
This is another business novel explaining the ideas behind the Theory Of Constraints. To make it a snappier read, Eli Goldratt worked with screenwriters who were well used to regularly revising their work.
It is based on a retail business in home textiles in the US. I can’t remember the exact numbers but there are about 100 stores organised into about 10 regions. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on September 28, 2017
The full title of this book by Clarke Ching is
Six Lessons: My Sixty-Minute Masterclass with Eli Goldratt
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars, meaning Worthwhile.
Here is my book review.
Interesting interview
This is a transcript of an interview with Eliyahu Goldratt, drawing out lessons from “Isn’t It Obvious” which looked at retailing.
Inevitably given the format, it is a bit of a clunky read in places. People don’t tend to talk in as structured a way as they write. It starts by highlighting three lessons from the book and then goes on to find another three. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 16, 2016
In my review of Eliyahu Goldratt’s book
The Race
on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it a rating of Four Stars. This means that it is good to very good.
Here is what I wrote.
The Goal told you what to do and why, The Race tells you how to do it
This is the companion book to The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement. If you loved your introduction to the Theory of Constraints when you read the novel, this is an obvious next step to put meat onto the bones of the ideas introduced. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 9, 2016
In my review of the book
Accounting For Throughput
by David Dugdale and T Jones posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Three Stars. This means Worthwhile.
Here is my review.
An early look at Accounting for Throughput consistent with the Theory of Constraints
This book is now 20 years old.
It was written at a time when there was plenty of criticism of traditional absorption based costing from
- Theory Of Constraints (TOC) advocates,
- from those who believed in Activity Based Costing and
- those who believed that there was too much focus on financial performance when non-financial performance indicators would chart progress better.
This presents the TOC side of the argument where it is believed that the main purpose is to support actions that will increase throughput (at that time sales revenue minus direct material costs) rather than the old “cost world” which aimed to reduce costs and improve (false) efficiencies.
The fact that fixed and variable cost production overheads need to be included in stock and work in progress valuations for statutory accounts for Companies House and HMRC because that’s what the accounting standards say means that Throughput Accounts and Absorption Cost Accounts need to be reconciled. The first is used to guide internal decision making whilst the second is used to report progress to the outside world.
It does a good job of summarising the situation at that time including a detailed look at one company in the UK that had implemented Eli Goldratt’s product planning software, taken up his ToC ideas and found their traditional costing system a barrier to progress.
It presents a balanced case highlighting the void around department measures when the old costing reports were removed and works supervisors were no longer judged on efficiencies compared to standard costs.
Back when it first came out, I would have probably rated this as at least a 4 star book. However 20 years have past and ToC has developed as it has been implemented in more businesses. Accounting for ToC will have also moved forward so this book only tells the first half of the story, even if it has the main plot lines. That’s cost it a star when I rate it in but I still think it’s worth reading if you’re interested in introducing a style of Throughput Accounting.
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by Paul Simister
on November 8, 2016
The full title of this book by Matías Birrell and Javier Arévalo is
“Forget the Urgent!: Rather focus on the important: A business dialogue based on the best seller ‘The Goal’ by Eliyahu M Goldratt“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of FIVE Stars. That means I think it is excellent.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Anyone interested in the Theory of Constraints.
- Small business owners who want to improve.
The Big Idea
Every business faces constraints unless it is able to generate an infinite amount of money. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 8, 2016
In my review of
Pinocchio Becoming Human with the Theory of Constraints
by Seong Am Moon, Dong Jin Kim and Aaron Rae Stephens posted at Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 1 Star.
Here is my review.
Sorry but I don’t think this concept works
I’m mystified why the authors thought this book would be a good idea. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 8, 2016
In my review of the book
5 Steps to Continuous Improvement by Allen Pratt
posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 2 Stars.
Here is my review.
This should be free
Many business consultants and coaches offer a free report to sample their advice.
This book about the Theory of Constraints Five Steps Process is that kind of report. It is only 11 pages long and the author shares some of his experiences tackling constraints but instead of giving it to you for free, the author is asking you to pay for it unless you have Kindle Unlimited.
I can’t argue much with what’s here but I’m struggling to see the benefits of reading it. If you’ve already read The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement then you won’t learn much other than about the author. If you haven’t read “The Goal” and you want to know about the Theory of Constraints, then there’s no better place to start.
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by Paul Simister
on November 5, 2016
The full title of this book by John Arthur Ricketts is
Reaching The Goal: How Managers Improve a Services Business Using Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.
Here is my review.
A complicated book suitable for very big companies
To understand my review, you will need to understand my interest. I work with business owners to help them get unstuck and one of the methodologies I use is the Theory of Constraints. [continue reading…]
