Viable Vision: Transforming Total Sales into Net Profits [Paperback]

Gerald I. Kendall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2004 | ISBN-10: 193215938X | ISBN-13: 978-1932159387

Author Gerald Kendall offers a proven strategic plan and approach that lays out the steps to transform an organization's current total sales into net profits within four years.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gerald I. Kendall, Principal of TOC International, is a leading expert in the fields of strategic planning, operations management, marketing, project management and constraints management (TOC). He has over 30 years of related experience as a practitioner, consultant, public speaker and trainer. Gerry is an active member of PMI and an accomplished author and co-author of many praised works including the best-selling book Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: J. Ross Publishing (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193215938X
• ISBN-13: 978-1932159387
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #409,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > Business & Investing > Marketing & Sales > Marketing > Industrial

More About the Author

Born in Montreal, Canada in 1947, Gerald Kendall is a recognized world expert at strategic planning, Theory of Constraints (TOC) and project portfolio management, with extensive implementation experience. His clients span the globe, including engagements in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Australia, Europe, United States and Canada. Gerry is married to his lovely wife, Jackie. They share 5 children and 4 grandchildren.

Gerald began his career with IBM as a systems engineer and became an I.T. Director. After expanding into international sales and marketing, with global executive responsibility, he broadened his experience in strategic planning, supply chain and operations.

Gerald's latest book (October 2009), Dentistry with a Vision, uses a fictional novel format, based on a real life story. The novel illustrates the integration of TOC, Lean and Six Sigma to bring a dental practice from break even to over $3 million net profit in a few years. His previous book, Viable Vision, explains to executives and managers how to get high leverage out of an organization's change efforts. His Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO is the top-selling book in the PMO and Project Portfolio Management space. His first book, Securing the Future continues to be in demand in its 12th year of publication. Gerald also authored a chapter on Project Portfolio Management for the American Management Association Handbook of Project Management, 2nd Edition, and a chapter on Critical Chain in Dr. Harold Kerzner's book, Project Management, A System's Approach, 8th edition. The new TOC Handbook highlights Gerry's chapter on TOC Strategy and Tactics application.

Gerald is a graduate and silver medal winner of McGill University. You may email to [e-mail]. Web site: www.tocinternational.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to E. Goldratt's Viable Vision Proposition, March 9, 2005

By 

A. A. Diaz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Viable Vision: Transforming Total Sales into Net Profits (Paperback)

In this book, Gerry attempts primarily to demonstrate two things. First, that contemporaneous complex and fast-changing business environment can best be managed through simplicity. Second, that the successful application of this approach can unleash the potential for organisations to achieve, in less than four years, net profits equal to current sales (Eli Goldratt's Viable Vision Proposition).

After introducing Eli Goldratt's Viable Vision Proposition in chapters 1 and 2, Gerry provides a concise summary about the frameworks of reference, logic, application and expected results when applying the Theory of Constraints (TOC) to the different areas of the organisation (chapters 3 to 10). With this approach he seeks to prove his first claim.

Throughout the book, the reader will find examples and valuable information about the applicability of the TOC to managing businesses operations. Also, about new business propositions that organisations can take advantage of and that arise thanks to this TOC's management approach. Without doubt, Gerry's book makes the reader wiser and does help experience a paradigm shift.

Finally, and in Part IV of the book, Gerry describes a powerful buy-in process (chapter 11) and criteria to construct lasting competitive advantage (chapter 12) with chapter 13 explaining different phases through which managers can aspire to move their organisations towards a period of unparalleled growth.

If the reader is in need of gaining a good overview of TOC and of getting new breakthrough ideas to increase organisation's competitiveness and sales, this book won't disappoint. However, the reader must be warned that this book is not sufficient neither to implement some of the changes necessary to achieve sustainable results nor to develop and implement a Viable Vision that will generate, in less than four years, net profit equal to current sales. To this ends, the reader must seek professional advice!

...more in www.TOCworld.com

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First TOC book for smart but busy exsecutives, February 23, 2005

By 

Eizo Kobayashi (Kanagawa Pref., Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Viable Vision: Transforming Total Sales into Net Profits (Paperback)

I have just completed translating this book into Japanese. Actually I translated several TOC books into Japanese in the past, because many Japanese readers want them to read in Japanese. However, in order for those who want to understand what TOC is all about, they had to read several books in the past before they understand whole of TOC and its implications to their business.

One of the unique points of this book, in my opinion, is that this is the first TOC book ever written specifically aiming at smart but busy executives as the target audience. In the Acknowledgments, Gerry wrote "...my original idea - a short, to the point Theory of Constraints (TOC) book for executives." Exactly this is why I decided to translate this book into Japanese so that the Japanese executives can read it quickly in Japanese without language barrier. Therefore, by investing little time, say, while traveling, executives can grasp all of the guts of TOC and its implications to their business.

The second uniqueness of this book is that, although it is concise, it is still comprehensive to cover every aspect of TOC - in other words it is full of messages that can make your business achieve high growth, and therefore, these messages should not certainly be overlooked by the Japanese executives who are keen to regain their success in world markets by applying the holistic approach explained plainly in this book to marketing and logistics.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overview of TOC & Viable Vision, November 24, 2004

By 

Christopher Zephro (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Viable Vision: Transforming Total Sales into Net Profits (Paperback)

For the past two years Dr. Goldratt (Founder of Theory of Constraints) has been going around the country providing Viable Vision Seminars to explain the concept and what is required to develop a Viable Vision. What is a Viable Vision? It is basically a comprehensive strategy that leverages all of the disciplines of TOC.

Gerry's book is the perfect compliment, guide if you will, to the Viable Vision seminar. The book starts by describing the premise behind a Viable Vision. It then goes on to detail each of the disciplines that will need to be considered when developing a Viable Vision and the TOC approach to each of them. The disciplines are Marketing, Operations, Project Management, Supply Chain, and IT. The book then talks about how to gain buy-in, as well as strategy, and executing the paradigm shift required in order to implement a successful Viable Vision.

The book concludes with actual examples of some Viable Vision's created for a Distribution and Irrigation company.

Viable Vision is an excellent overview of Theory of Constraints and its application to each function within an organization. It is the first book I give to Executives to show them how Theory of Constraints and developing a Viable Vision will set us apart from our competitors.