The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

If words like 'Workbench” , “Workload”, “Process” , “Bottleneck” ,"Lean management" do not interest you, then pick up this book !!! .

Goal is not just a book to be read and followed in Production units; nor it's like the lean management technique mastered by Toyota. Goal is to be read with an objective to understand what makes sense for the people in Operations, people in Project Management or people working with NGOs...there is a great breadth of learning for all of them and not to forget for people like you and me too.

Alex who is a budding production manager is about to report a 3rd quarter loss for his division. His boss is clear. If BU does not make profit, it should be closed for ever. It's as simple as it can be. Alex has 3 months time to save his plant. He knows simply nothing but a typical congruent process followed in production:

1. Remove waste lines across the workbench

2. Increase through put by increasing efficiency

3. Reduce manual work and replace with deadly robots

4. Show bottom line for the company

5. If possible, give orders on time

6. Reduce inventory

Well all of them are good and great to know. But there are Missing links and Goal finds it all! Adding to all these is a troubled marriage! Alex know all's going to end in the 3rd month, including his marriage. Then one man, who he met accidentally in the airport lounge, changes his thought process. Soon Alex is on a nerve raking path to save his plant. There are instances and dramatization of the problem faced in the plant and how Alex goes on to find solutions for all of these problems, and similar to a typical commercial movie, it all ends well!

But the lesson learnt is amazing. Some of the bits and pieces I gathered while reading the book

1.“Speed of the team is the speed of the weakest link”

2. Increased throughput does not mean increased inventory. Otherwise you will have to build more plants to store more inventory.

3. Increased efficiency does not mean increasing production. If that was the case, then all humans would have been replaced by Robots!

4. Feed the Bottlenecks. If they stay hungry, your plant is going to drain!

And many more to add to the list....So all the best and save the Plant!

Word Of Caution: Goal gets boring towards the end where the author is interviewed...So skip it :)