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Velocity: Combining Lean, Six Sigma and the Theory of Constraints to Achieve Breakthrough Performance - A Business Novel [Hardcover]

Dee Jacob , Suzan Bergland , Jeff Cox
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)

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Book Description

December 29, 2009
Millions of readers remember The Goal, the landmark business novel that sets forth by way of story the essential principles of Eliyahu Goldratt's innovative methods of production. Now, from the AGI-Goldratt Institute and Jeff Cox, the same creative writer who co-authored The Goal, comes VELOCITY, the book that reveals how to achieve outstanding bottom-line results by integrating the world's three most powerful continuous improvement disciplines: Lean, Six Sigma, and Goldratt's Theory of Constraints.

Used by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps to dramatically improve some of the most complex, logistically vast supply chains in the world, the VELOCITY APPROACH draws on the strengths of all three disciplines to deliver breakthrough performance gains. In physics, speed with direction is velocity; in business, the application of VELOCITY means your organization can achieve operational speed with strategic direction to outmaneuver competitors, gain loyalty with customers, and rapidly build sustainable earnings growth -- in as little as one or two business quarters.

Dee Jacob and Suzan Bergland, two princi-pals of AGI, have been teaching the concepts, techniques, and tools of VELOCITY to major corporations, including Procter & Gamble, ITT, and Northrop Grumman, for years. Now they unlock the door for you to see how to apply their insights and methods to your organization -- be it business, not-for-profit, manufacturing, or service based -- in order to shorten lead times, slash inventories, reduce production variability, and increase sales.

Writer Jeff Cox returns with the vivid, realistic style that made The Goal so readable yet so edifying. Thrust into the presidency of the subsidiary company where she has managed sales and marketing, Amy Cieolara is mandated by her corporate superiors to implement Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in order to appease a key customer. Assigned to help her is LSS Master Black Belt Wayne Reese, installed as her operations manager. But as time goes on and corporate pressure mounts, Amy finds she has to start thinking for herself -- and learning from everyone around her -- and she arrives at the series of steps that form the core of the VELOCITY APPROACH.

VELOCITY offers keen insight into the human and organizational factors that so often derail growth while teaching you proven, practical techniques for restarting and revving up the internal engines of your company to reach new levels of success. Colorful characters, believable situations, and everything from dice games to AGI's "reality tree" techniques make this business novel a vital resource for everyone seeking to deliver business improvement in these challenging economic times -- and far into the future.


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Velocity: Combining Lean, Six Sigma and the Theory of Constraints to Achieve Breakthrough Performance - A Business Novel + The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cox (The Goal) and consultants Jacob and Bergland collaborate for this unholy marriage of business strategy and fiction. Amy Ceolara is distressed when it's announced that her company, Hi-T Components, is becoming a subsidiary of the competitive corporate monster Winner Inc. For the flimsiest of reasons, Amy is named interim president and is responsible for turning the flailing company around through a mix of three quality management and improvement programs: (1) Six Sigma, which calls for reduction in variation and thus the elimination of errors and defects, (2) Lean, which produces a reduction in waste and (3) the Theory of Constraints, which claims that every system is made up of resources that each have varying limits, and the performance of the total system is constrained by whatever resource is the most limited. Though her team initially struggles, victory is eventually hers. Terrible puns (characters are named Peter Winn and Dr. Viktor) and frequent complimentary reference/product placement of the authors' previous book The Goal team up with dry writing to create a truly stultifying experience. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"AGI's VELOCITY APPROACH enabled us to get control over the uncertainties of our repair and remanufacturing business, leading to significant improvements in our overall performance. The changes we made to the way we manage our business positioned us to not only survive but to thrive in what could be called the worst recession since the Great Depression." -- Carl Coslow, President, Republic Industries International

"As we transformed the entire Naval Aviation logistics system, our leadership team decided that 'AIRSpeed,' our continuous process improvement program, would combine best business practices -- Lean, Six Sigma, and Theory of Constraints. This strategy not only enabled Naval Aviation to reduce turnaround times 40 percent and work in process nearly 50 percent in areas applied, but enhanced the quality of life of our sailors and marines." -- VADM Walter B. Massenburg, USN (Ret.), former Commander, Naval Air Systems Command; Architect and Chief Operating Officer of Naval Aviation Enterprise

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Free Press (December 29, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1439158924
  • ISBN-13: 978-1439158920
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #251,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

It clearly blends Lean, Six Sigma and the Theory of Constraints together for the good of all. James R. Holt  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
The book is written to inform and entertain and can be read in a few sittings. TWheels  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
I recommend this book to anyone interested in business management at any level of an organization. Dr. Howard D. Meeks  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Fixing Godzilla March 1, 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Velocity is similar to the goal as they write about Theory of Constraints, but become more contemporary by combining lean and six sigma. Albeit, the book is mostly about Theory of Constraints as I don't recommend buying this if you just want to learn about six sigma techniques.

The story was a touch dry, but I still found it interested and wanted to see what the ultimate solution would be for the company Hi-T. The main character Amy is likeable and you end up rooting for her. They of course introduce another character similar to Jonah from The Goal who provides clear thought (in this book Tom Dawson). The other managers are split on how they want to fix the problems and embracing the change that is needed.

The book takes you through at a high level some of these disciplines:

Lean - Creating value for customers by way of products and services with minimum waste at optimal speed in perfect balance with market demand.

Six Sigma - Identifying and eliminating defects, errors, and anything quantifiable that is unwanted by customers.

Value Stream - Laying out the stages of a process or a project. Diagramming the flow and the various branches of input.

Takt Time - Time available to work divided by demand - the time available to make the product divided by the units needed.

Theory of Constraints - Holds that every system - business system or manufacturing system - is made up of resources that each have varying limits. Performance of the total system is constrained by whatever resource is most limited or the bottleneck of the system.

While other concepts are discussed in various detail the book explains throughput well. This is the rate at which inventory is converted into completed sales, or cash. This is the language every company knows and needs to understand. This concept can be translated to service or manufacturing (and retail even).

Overall, I enjoyed reading about how this company fixed the problems they were having and embraced (reluctantly to start) some new ideas and some changes to how they have worked for years. Good read with a lot of takeaways about lead, six sigma and Theory of Constraints.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a university professor I want students to recognize what is being practiced in industry to learn how to improve. Many of the students have had internships where TOC, Lean, or 6 Sigma are used but never all 3.
Velocity will help people get past the assumption that you have to choose between TOC and Lean and 6 Sigma improvement methodologies. It shows a clear way of integrating them for improved bottom line results. Therefore, I am going to require this business novel as part of the logistics course that I teach.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in business management at any level of an organization.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Close enough for Rock & Roll July 5, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an entertaining book, as are most of the TOC business novels. I was pleased to see Jeff Cox return to the scene (so to speak). BTW, Dee was my instructor at AGI in 1998 for Project Management (where I met Dr. Meeks -- Hi Howard!), and I know her to be an exceptional educator. Susan I have met briefly at various times at TOC events and know her to be passionate about the subject.

So, I was pleased to learn of this effort. I read it in about six hours on my iPod touch (Kindle app) within a span of 24 hours. So, when I say it was a page turner, trust me! One con: all kindle books should sell for $9.99 or less IMNSHO, so if I did not have a free gift card, I would not have bought it yet. Also, the diagrams are not readable on the iPhone/iTouch.

If you are excited about TOC, then this is a must own title. As one reviewer pointed out (Vishal), it really lacks any depth for Six Sigma folks. It offers a lot more for the Lean (TPS) crowd. Which describes me, so I might like it better than the slide rule crowd. Would I give this book to a Lean practitioner? Yes. As a conversation starter. It won't do your job of convincing Lean folks to take you seriously, but you should not expect it to. I love how Dr Lisa promotes the opening of a Mafia Offer, in that you should ask the prospect if this data is relevant to the challenges they are facing (paraphrased, of course).

Same for this book. Ask your Lean friends to look it over, and ask them where they agree and where they disagree. This might be the key to getting them to read "The Goal" if they haven't already. Or "Critical Chain." Or, for those in Supply Chain roles, "Necessary But Not Sufficient" (NBNS). Or "Purple Curve Effect" for folks trying to make a difference "right where they are!" But I digress...

One final negative branch, again, as others have suggested, the Thinking Processes as documented are a little weak. As I have moved on to Dettmer's 3rd Generation (now called "The Logical Thinking Process" and the title of his best work yet, and a chapter in the new TOC Handbook), that is not an issue. When NBNS came out, Goldratt said he did not realize how many people would read it that had not read "The Goal" first, therefore, it caused some confusion. That a concern here too.

Bottom line: I like it. It adds value to the conversation. The authors deserve all the praise that gets sent their direction.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars great insights, easy to understand - avoid pitfalls
This is a great book for anyone embarking on or experiencing efficiency and quality issues with their current programs. Read more
Published 21 days ago by Tom Woodbury
4.0 out of 5 stars Practical book, but too long
Good stories and examples with games to explain the otherwise less intuitive solutions. The story is too long though - could have been 3 times shorter with same impact.
Published 22 days ago by Evgueni Iagniatinski
5.0 out of 5 stars Short review
This audiobook is a good follow up after reading the goal. Having studied the principles of 6 sigma, lean, and theory of constraints it is a thought provoking book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Charles Richie
3.0 out of 5 stars Trying too hard to make a story. . .
The book follows "It's Not Luck" and others, is a "spin-off" if you will of the Eliyahu Goldratt ground-breaking book, "The Goal. Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. C. Klassen
4.0 out of 5 stars Great follow up to "The Goal"
First of all, this was a great follow up on TOC for those of you who read The Goal. This book expanded upon the lessons from The Goal and presents a very strong case for why... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Telly
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down
I loved this book. The story line was compelling and the business subject matter was fascinating. The authors provide an excellent introduction to Lean Six Sigma and the Theory... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Daniel Massa
5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect way to introduce a philosophy
I read "The Goal", by Eliyahu M.Goldratt and it was a wonderful book/novel to introduce a new, different philosophy, Theory of Constraints (TOC). Read more
Published 8 months ago by Tomodachi
5.0 out of 5 stars Velocity: Combining Lean, Sigma and TOC
If you are interested in Continuous Improvement then this book is an excellent read. There are many tools out there to work with but this books helps to explain in simple terms... Read more
Published 17 months ago by TWheels
2.0 out of 5 stars A bit thin on LEAN and Six Sigma
I'm coming from the ToC side of things and my review might be colored by that.

When I read The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement and what I really liked about The... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Bas van Atteveldt
5.0 out of 5 stars Velocity
Velocity is a must read for anyone practicing Lean Six Sigma. As a newly trained Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, I have been very excited about my new found knowledge, only to find that... Read more
Published on January 1, 2011 by gacleader1
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