Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsReview of Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag Goldratt’s Rules of Flow. WOW!
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2023
I always get requests for Amazon reviews on every purchase. I wonder why. How can I evaluate a product immediately after getting the package? How can I evaluate a product I sent as a gift? So I hold my reviews to those products that exceed or fall below my expectations. This book, Goldratt’s Rules of Flow, written by Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag, exceeds my expectations even though I have read her work before. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag is Eli Goldratt’s daughter and holds a Ph.D. in organizational psychology. She is a bright lady. I expected Efrat to explain Eli’s four concepts of flow as outlined in his article, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (2008). Efrat references this article with the statement: “Improving flow is the primary objective of every operation.” Nice quote! I thought this book would lead into a book on production and discuss the comparison between the five focusing steps and the concepts of flow. I had always wanted an explanation of the similarities and differences between these two Goldratt concepts. From Goldratt’s article above, the following excerpt is given.
“In summary, both Ford and Ohno followed four concepts (from now on, we’ll refer to them as the concepts of supply chain):
1. Improving flow (or equivalently lead time) is a primary objective of operations.
2. This primary objective should be translated into a practical mechanism that guides the operation when not to produce (prevents overproduction). Ford used space; Ohno used inventory.
3. Local efficiencies must be abolished.
4. A focusing process to balance flow must be in place. Ford used direct observation. Ohno used the gradual reduction of the number of containers and then gradual reduction of parts per container.”
I was wrong about Efrat’s book on two counts. First, I was expecting a book on manufacturing. Second, I was expecting a discussion of these four concepts. Not much new in my mind, but I was hoping for an enjoyable read. Instead, Efrat surprised me with a continuation of the story from Critical Chain with the academic (I am an academic) Richard Silver, the professor that taught the Critical Chain project methodology for single projects. Efrat’s novel is set ten years after Rick introduced TOC into his Executive MBA teaching. The main character, Marc, the head of engineering for a manufacturing firm, decides to sign up for an MBA course, the Rules of Flow, at a local university. To my surprise, Efrat has expanded four flow concepts into the eight flow rules and applied them not only to production but to the multi-project environment. Efrat discusses each of the eight rules and has students from different industries (banking, construction, IT, and manufacturing) provide questions, examples and obstacles to implementing them. Rick expands on their questions and answers, where the reader has an excellent understanding of the situation. Marc’s story is intertwined throughout the novel, as was Julie and Alex Rogo’s in Eli’s novel, The Goal. Efrat is now the giant that many others should stand on her shoulders to develop this body of knowledge. I would give a higher mark than 5 as the book far exceeded my expectations.
My only suggestion for improving the book is that while Efrat provided a list of the 8 Rules of Flow at the end of the book, she should also provide instructions for their use in any multi-project organization. I would suggest that the reader copy these flow rules on a whiteboard and write the obstacle and how they will address it on the board each time they encounter an obstacle to one of the rules. PS: The book also shows the fit between these 8 flow rules and the 5 FS.
