"The Goal" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt is probably the best fictional book about process improvement I've ever read.
This weekend I re-read "The Goal" and thought...this is a timeless classic. It was originally published in 1982 and the funny part is you would think that the story is about the company your working for right now.
"The Goal" was the 2nd book I had ever read about process improvements and it uses the phrase Theory of Constraints which is very similar to Lean processing.
The first time I read it I was running a production department and I could see myself as the main character.
Reader's digest version: Our main character is exhausted, always behind on orders, gets complaints from sales constantly and his work flow is consistently derailed by "rush" jobs. (Sound familiar yet!)
He gets introduced to a new way to look at how processing should be done, sees the light and trouble shoots a lot of issues using common sense techniques similar to Lean. By working with his staff and asking them the right questions, he helps turn his facility around.
Why do I love this book....because I don't see it as fictional I see it as a biography.
Although I didn't have his martial problems my facility issues were the same. Then by implementing Lean at my previous company we took a process that was 65 days and changed it to 30 days in just a few months. Over a period of 2 years it was reduced to a 4 day process. Sales were up, complaints were down and the sales team loved us.
If you don't want to buy "The Goal" new you can always find one on e-bay for about $6.00 + S & H. I've actually purchased and given away several copies to others so yes...it makes a great gift.
