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Theory Of Constraints Books

The full title of this book by Yann Ginon is

Continuous Improvement to Company Financial Performance The Human Factor: Understand and deploy Value Stream Mapping, Theory of Constraint and Lean6Sigma to transform your company into a cash machine

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book One Star.

Here is my review.

The author should start again

About 25 years ago I read The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt and thought the way novel business ideas were woven into a compelling story was brilliant.

Since then, I’ve read a few more of these business novels but none have matched the lasting impression of “The Goal” but never before have I seen the concept reduced to gibberish. [continue reading…]

in Other Business Books

The full title of this book by Uwe Techt is

Goldratt and the Theory of Constraints: The Quantum Leap in Management“.

In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book a FIVE Stars rating. This means I think it is excellent.

Here is my book review.

A very helpful summary

Goldratt’s business novels like “The Goal“, “It’s Not Luck“, “Critical Chain” etc are an excellent way to get a general appreciation of the Theory Of Constraints. Their weakness comes apparent when you want to go back and remind yourself of the critical concepts because they are too buried into the story.

The author, Uwe Techt has written an excellent summary of the fundamental ideas within the Theory Of Constraints which serves as both a refresher and a reference for when you’re trying to implement the concepts. As an initial introduction, I still recommend starting with “The Goal“. [continue reading…]

in 8 – Your Systems, Best Business Books

Where Is The Constraint? by Henry Harel

The full title of this book by Henry Harel is

Where Is The Constraint? A Theory of Constraints DIY Toolkit Book 1“.

In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is good.

Here is my book review.

A different perspective on finding the constraint

In this short book, the author shares his experience as a TOC practitioner helping businesses around the world.

It doesn’t attempt to summarise the logical construction of the Theory of Constraints in the way that a book like Goldratt and the Theory of Constraints.: The Quantum Leap in Management does. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

Absolute Certainty by John Haylock

The full title of this book by John Haylock is

Absolute Certainty: How to give your clients exactly what they want“.

In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is good.

Here is my book review.

Ideas for improving service businesses contained within a novel

This is a book about improving service businesses with the ideas dressed up in a novel.

The main character in the story is an accounting partner from a local three partner firm. It’s doing OK but everybody is very busy. He meets with a client who has a design business that has made some fundamental changes in the way it works after getting feedback from customers that they were not happy but the firm was getting the work because the other designers were just as bad. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

TOC Thinking by Yishai Ashlag

The full title of this book by Yishai Ashlag is

TOC Thinking: Removing Constraints for Business Growth

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars. This means Worthwhile.

Here is my review.

A nice introduction to TOC but anyone with much knowledge of TOC won’t get much out of it

The author makes it clear that he’s trying to explain the underlying thinking behind the Theory of Constraints and Eliyahu Goldratt’s books rather than trying to summarise the concepts.

It’s well written and easy to read. It also contains what I suspect will be a few aha moments for people who haven’t read the main books. [continue reading…]

in Other Business Books

Theory of Constraints Handbook – 5 Stars

Theory of Constraints Handbook

I gave this very large, very intensive look at the Theory of Constraints a rating of Five Stars in my review on Amazon.co.uk.

Here is my book review.

The Serious Guide To The Theory Of Constraints

If you’ve read “The Goal” and a few other books about the Theory Of Constraints and you want to implement it yourself or through a specialist consultancy, this is the most definitive guide I’ve seen.

It is massive with 38 chapters which end on page 1135 before the Bibliography and Index… and that’s with a smaller print font than I’d ideally like.

Its size is both a strength and a weakness. I’ve had it for five years and I use it to dip in and out of as a reference rather than as a book to read from start to finish. Its bulk is intimidating and it’s heavy to hold. [continue reading…]

in 8 – Your Systems, Best Business Books

Critical Chain by Eliyahu Goldratt

The full title of this important book on project management by Eli Goldratt is

Critical Chain: A Business Novel“.

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means that it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

Interesting ideas about project management in this management novel.

I was reading Critical Chain when I heard the news that the author, Dr Eliyahu Goldratt died.

The Theory of Constraints guru focuses his attention on project management in this book after looking at constraints in the production process in The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement and in the marketing strategy in It’s Not Luck. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

It’s Not Luck by Eliyahu Goldratt

In my review of

It’s Not Luck

by Eliyahu Goldratt posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Three Stars. This is Worthwhile.

Here is my review.

A story using the Theory of Constraints in the market where lack of demand is the constraint

I read It’s Not Luck when it was first published in 1994 and have read it several times since but I still think it’s a disappointing book.

I loved The Goal by Eli Goldratt. It is an insightful business book which revealed simple and powerful ideas through a fast paced and engaging story. It brought the Theory of Constraints to the world and challenged some of the new ideas coming out to right the ills of 1980s/1990s accounting. It’s Not Luck is a pale shadow of it’s famous predecessor. [continue reading…]

in Other Business Books

The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox

Book Review Rating – 5 Stars

“The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement” is a fantastic book about performance improvement in a manufacturing business wrapped up in a novel that is hard to put down.

First published in 1984 this book introduced the world to the Theory of Constraints.

The big idea is that many of the ideas for improving a business are misguided at best and expensive mistakes at worst.

That’s because an improvement in an area outside of the constraint that is holding back performance is more an illusion than substance. Real improvements come from removing the constraint.

The Story Of The Goal

I think this was the first popular management book to be written as a story but it is an extremely effective teaching method for putting across the big ideas. The weakness is that it’s hard to pick up the details to put the ideas into action. Eli Goldratt wrote The Race as the follow-up hands-on guide. [continue reading…]

in 8 – Your Systems, Best Business Books, Business Problems And Mistakes

The full title of this book by Lisa J. Scheinkopf is

Thinking for a Change: Putting the TOC Thinking Processes to Use

In my review posted on Amazon.co,uk, I gave the book Five Stars. This means it is Excellent and Very Highly Recommended.

Here is my book review.

A Big Improvement On It’s Not Luck

I found “It’s Not Luck” by Eli Goldratt a frustrating read.

The Theory of Constraints Thinking Processes were clearly powerful tools for diagnosing problems and implementing solutions and taking TOC out of the factory floor and into the boardrooms. But I found the tools abstract and confusing. [continue reading…]

in 2 – Your Inner Game, Best Business Books, Business Problems And Mistakes