Customer Reviews

Theory of Constraints Handbook

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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.

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.

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.

This book is a must read for anyone working with the complexities of Constraint Management. Noted experts provide numerous examples which can be applied to virtually any application within the TOC field.

The TOC Handbook hardcover version is not comfortable for a in-depth read. I bought the Kindle version and I do not have enough stars to rate it! Is just a dream. With very few clicks you can jump from Goldratt to Schragenheim, from Debra to Lisa, from Srikanth to Holt... Is amazing to have all this TOC knowledge developed by the masters, in a very small digital place.

This is an extremely comprehensive book covering all aspects of Constraints Management. It is packed with numerous examples in chapters written by noted subject matter experts with applications for virtually any situation in the science of TOC. I have enjoyed referring to it many times over the past several months and expect to continue to do so for many years to come. A "must read" for any person endeavoring to understand and improve flow in any operation.

The Theory of Constraints Handbook is certainly not for the casual reader; rather this is a compilation of work by different authors, written for those who truly want a deeper understanding of the mechanics of T.O.C.

The T.O.C. Handbook would be better viewed as a series of text books compiled into a single binding; each section can actually be studied independently of other sections. At nearly 1200 pages, and with its depth of the material, this is certainly not light reading. Unfortunately, many of the chapters were not reader friendly and were rather difficult to get through; however stick with it and you will gain knowledge critical to the success of your business or your personal life.

To get the most from this book, each chapter should be studied with paper and pencil in hand, and treated as a course in itself.

One nice aspect of this book was the variety of different styles between authors. I have now found several authors who's books I would like to study as a result of reading this publication.

This is TRULY a handbook on TOC covering most TOC topics in encyclopedic depth. Unlike most TOC books, it cannot be read cover-to-cover; each section offers weighty coverage (usually by several TOC-accomplished) experts. In addition, it is an idea-book about how to get past (usually mental) roadblocks creating TOC solutions. Although many sections are well-written and clear, it is not easy reading. It is immensely deep and competent, however. Must have for anyone exploring or practicing TOC ...

I'm a TOC Practitioner/Trainer in Hongkong and longing to get the most updated information on TOC development worldwide. This handbook really could serve the purpose.
I can't wait to finish a few chapters once I got this book and found it most informative and useful.
The references at the end of each chapter is also resourceful. This is a must read for every TOC practitioners.

This is really a great book and a bonus to the TOC world. In my opinion, it's one of those books that if you don't know enough TOC to actually need this book, it's probably not going to be helpful. If you know enough to make sense of it, you still probably don't "need" it. I love it because in the areas I am trained in, it is great reading but not really useful. However, there are TOC solutions that I don't use and this book gives a quick overview of them in a way that I can determine if they would be useful to a client. If you like TOC, get this book as you will want it in your library no matter your level. Good books are not about always understanding them, but having them. You may grow into it. I have lots of books on Hume and still don't understand that guy, but I love knowing he's only a few steps away.