Customer Reviews

The Logical Thinking Process: A Systems Approach to Complex Problem Solving

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The most comprehensive, easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to finding real solutions to problems I face in business every day. Dettmer has created the definitive guide for applying Goldratt's Logical Thinking Process. The book is loaded with great examples and presents a much more streamlined approach to building the logic trees, including the Current & Future Reality Tree, Conflict Cloud and the Prerequisite and Transition Trees. Additionally, Dettmer introduces and details how to build the most useful tool I've ever used in business, the Intermediate Objective Map, which helps Managers define where they want to be (the goal), to compare against where they are today.

If you really want to find the key leverage points to fundamentally improve your business, this book will give you all the tools you need to achieve your goal.

5+ Stars

I own every book Dettmer has written (or co-authored). This is hands down the best. Most thorough. Must own. Ever. Period.

Just skimming the various appendices will amaze! If you did not already know it, building "logic trees" is a lot of work. Hard work. But Dettmer streamlines some of that effort by sharing new insights gained from teaching the Logical Thinking Process for the last ten years. You could say that this revision to Goldratt's Theory of Contraints is at least 25% new material. Maybe as much as 30-35%!

Plus, the material on effecting change is a huge bonus. Talking about Col. John Boyd and his OODA Loop; Jim Collins and Level 5 Leadership (and more), this book is the one Dettmer book to own, if you must limit your spending.

-ski

If you are serious about solving your difficult problem, there is no better starting point than Dettmer's book. That said, the process is not easy. You will identify the undesirable effects and construct diagrams to help you discover the root causes. You will identify the limiting factors that prevent you from achieving your goals. You will identify the intermediate objectives which help you reach your goals. And you will learn more acronyms than you thought you could ever remember. Perhaps you will even become a better thinker. Use this book to understand Goldratt's Thinking Process, and to solve your difficult problem.

Bill has produced an exquisite update to his earlier works, well recongnized as the definitive source for the logical thinking process. With some new simplifications and very effective process summaries, this book is an essential tool when you have a serious problem to address. Bills clear and concise writing makes the material accessible to all. His personal experiences improving many organizations ensure results.

I wish our politicians could use a process like this to address the systemic problems that plague Washington DC and our nation, such as Health Care. One can only hope...

I can honestly say that this is the best book I have ever read on the TOC Thinking Processes. Dettmer's re-introduction of the IO Map was a stroke of genius and will help everyone better understand how to construct logic trees.

Bob Sproull

Many years ago I had the honor and fortune of having Bill Dettmer train me personally in the Theory of Constraints. I have owned my own company for 10 years and now needed to lay out our strategy for growth and survival. Where did I turn? Bill's books.

Bill is the only one in the world that can break all of this down to simple, easy to understand principles. We are in the midst of doing our 1 year and beyond planning and when we do it we will be able to understand and uncover all of the unintended negative consequences and all the steps necessary to achieve our goals. You simply can't be without Bill's books and perhaps this is one of his best.

When I was searching for any books that has to do with problem-solving, this book caught my eyes .

However, As I was reading through this book, What struck me was that it is not for a TOC beginner.

In particular, The most tough parts were TOC application examples.

I was trying to apply TOC Tools to my works. It was too complicated though.

To the best of my knowledge is that this book is for people familiar with TOC applications.

I wish , there would be more pages dedicated to easy and various TOC examples.

First, let me start off by stating I am a certified Jonah and have read every book published by Goldratt and crew, the APICS, St. Lucie Press, and many of the published academic papers etc. I use TOC methods for change management professionally, so I know my way around the methods. I have this book a bad review a few weeks ago, but after some thought and consideration, I have changed it.

If you have not read any of the APICS books and have only read The Goal or other Goldratt business novels, get this. It's a great book to have to navigate your way around the tools. The APICS books are a little academic, as is this, but this is all in one book as opposed to 5 or 6 separate ones.

After reading The Logical Thinking Process, I am confident in my ability to help an organization find root causes of their problems and to find a direction for a solution while simultaneously anticipating obstacles and creating injections to prevent those obstacles from derailing their progress.

William Dettmer has assembled all of the tools of the Logical Thinking Process in an easy to follow format, in a step by step sequence that can easily be adapted to any organization. I highly recommend this book to any one and everyone who honestly want to see improvement in their business, their organization, or their personal life.

This book is a very good guide on how to use the ToC thinking processes.The author gives a very in-depth view of how the thinking processes are to used. The examples used in the book are generic enough for anyone to understand. I love the way the CLR and Current Reality Trees are explained. However, I do not get that same satisfied feeling with some of the other chapters , especially the Evaporating Cloud.
In summary, this is a must-have book for those interested in the Thinking Processes.