The Goal: A Process Of Ongoing Improvement

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Introduction The business community is a scary, dog-eat-dog world where if a person fails to meet their numbers, they are immediately terminated. As Bob Donovan, from Eliyahu M. Goldratt’s novel The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement lightly puts it, “Games? We, in operations, are honest, hard-working folk who do not have time for games.” (Goldratt, 83) It is true what they say about all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but if being dull means you have enough money to pay the utility bills this month then so be it. In Goldratt’s novel, the main character centers around production plant manager Alex Rogo whom is a manufacturing plant manager, struggling with his plant as well as his marriage. Mr. Rogo has a problem because his plant has the history of not getting the job done, and he has ninety days to turn it around or there will not be any more jobs to do. In his fight to salvage his crumbling plant, enters Jonah who is willing to help Alex achieve his objectives. With the help of his companion and mentor, Alex attempts to save the plant and turn this “dog” into a “cashcow.” The process of which Jonah helps Alex in interesting in particular in the sense that he doesn’t give Alex the solution, but instead guides him through the thinking process. With further reading, the audience truly understands the brilliance of Jonah and his theories. Observations As the same for every business, Alex’s production plant’s main objective is to make money. No company exists to lose money or make products for free. When a company or plant is non-profitable, there is no reason to keep it active alas Alex’s dilemma. Walking Alex through this hard time, Jonah explains the “measurements [of] which explains the goal of making money perfectly well, but which also permit you to develop operational rules for running your plant.” (Goldratt, 69) The three ways
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