Over the break I was able to only read one of my two books, so the other one will have to sit on the shelf for at least three months because a new quarter has begun and I have a big bunch of reading. This quarter has a few non-textbooks on the reading list. The first of which, The Goal, I was able to plow through pretty quickly.The Goal is a textbook in the form of a novel designed to teach the operational management theory of constraints. Essentially, it revolves around a manufacturing factory using the newest technology yet hemorrhaging money. At its time (and to a certain extent even today), The Goal really turns our first instincts on how to run a plant on its head and shows how the instincts can hurt us.
The novel is really a pretty easy read although the author, Eliyahu Goldratt, is not much of a novelist. He does do a great job of simplifying the theory through the everyday examples contained in the book. The theory is remarkably simple, but seems so counterintuitive at times. I found it hard to put the book down as I wanted to continue reading to learn the whole theory.
If you have to act in or converse with a production environment, I highly recommend this book. It really clarifies important concepts like throughput, inventory, and bottlenecks so that you can talk the language and help identify the issues with a production process.
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