Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A most useful volume, August 7, 2010
This review is from: Theory of Constraints Handbook (Hardcover)
I have been working with Theory of Constraints concepts and methods since 1989 when I discovered "The Goal" by Dr Eli Goldratt. Since "The Goal" many books have been published by Dr. Goldratt and other practitioners. Up until now the most practical way to learn and understand the basic ideas and practices of TOC was to acquire those books. I was almost reluctant to buy this handbook thinking that my library of over 40 books was sufficient. However, I couldn't resist, I bought it. It's a big book in many ways. It is over 1100 pages and covers TOC in a systematic and complete manner from philosophy to basic concepts to practical checklists and formats for using the tools. The chapters are written by people who have been influential in originating and putting into practice TOC methods. It is not just a compendium of their older work, it contains much that is new and written specifically for this volume. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag's chapter on 'The Layers of Resistance - The Buy-In Process According to TOC' will change the way you think about, not only how you work with your customers but also how you conduct yourself in other relationships. This chapter alone was worth the price of the book for me. Lisa Scheinkopf's chapter on "Thinking Processes Including S&T Trees' is like a guided tour through the process of diagnosing what is keeping an enterprise from achieving its goals right through to developing a strategy for success. You will be a better consultant, manager, or person after reading Dr. Goldratt's introduction and the two chapters I mentioned above. 1100 pages is a lot to read. So far I have only sampled in the rest of the book but everything I have read has been clear, accessible, and useful.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best handbook I have now, July 21, 2010
This review is from: Theory of Constraints Handbook (Hardcover)
I have had many handbooks over the years. Some were good and most were lacking. This has to be the best handbook I have read. The sections cover topics such as supply chain, quality and project management, just to name a few. There is enough detail from implementation in each section. Even with different authors, there is not overlap of material. The language and diagrams are consistent throughout the handbook, which can be difficult when different authors are involved. Each section is written by a LEADER of TOC. I also like the appendix that points to other books that might be helpful if more detail is needed. I would recommend this handbook for all levels of knowledge of TOC.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An extraordinary Handbook for all Managers under pressure to improve, August 31, 2010
This review is from: Theory of Constraints Handbook (Hardcover)
Theory of Constraints (TOC) have been around for over 30 years and it is quite incredible to see how the growth rate in it's applications has been accelerating rather than declining. This TOC Handbook is definitely proof of that. The extraordinary handbook consists of 38 chapters, each written by a leading TOC expert or TOC academic. It is really impressive to see how despite the diversity in authors, the editors were able to maintain consistency in the way each chapter is presented and illustrated. Typically most of the chapters cover the "Why Change?", "What to change?", "What to change to", and " How to cause the change?" of the topic it covers with many chapters providing details on how to overcome practical implementation challenges. The introductory chapter by Dr Eli Goldratt, the creator of TOC, provides a fascinating description of the evolution of TOC, since it's first application to manufacturing in the late 1970's to today where it is being applied in an holistic way to achieve what Goldratt calls "Ever Flourishing" organizations. As a senior executive of a company and an avid follower and practitioner of TOC I couldn't wait for this book's release in June 2010. After reading all the chapters, I can honestly say all the chapters are worth a read but the ones that really stood out (readers can buy individual chapters as ebooks) include chapter 4 by Realization Technologies on "Getting durable results with Critical Chain - a field report", chapter 11 on "Supply Chain management the TOC way" by Amir Schragenheim, chapters 15 and 16 by Dr Alan Barnard on "Continuous improvement & Auditing the TOC way" and "Holistic TOC Implementation Case studies" which includes case studies from both the Public and Private sector (co-authored by Ray Immelman), Chapter 25 on "Thinking processes including S&T trees" by Lisa Scheinkopf, Chapter 27 on "TOC in Prisons" by Christina Cheng and Chapter 29 on "Theory of Constraints in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services" by John Ricketts. I can definitely recommend this Handbook or at least to get a few of the individual chapters (great value at less than $6 ea) to both those that are new to Theory of Constraints and want to understand what it is and how it can be applied to many different organizations and subjects, but also for the more experienced TOC practitioner like me, who knows the more we learn about TOC, the wider our base and the faster and more effective the rate of our own learning, communication and implementation success.
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