Recommended Theory of Constraints Books

Page Two

For books by I & J Munn Managing Director Ted Hutchin,
please click here.

We All Fall Down: Goldratt's Theory of Constraints for Healthcare Systems - Julie Wright and Russ King

Written in the style of a witty, thriller novel this book shows you how TOC can successfully be applied to healthcare - as well as other service industries such as teaching. It follows the struggles of Beth Seager, an Admissions Manager in a busy NHS hospital as she gradually discovers how to use TOC principles to unravel the mess of the health service system, finding the core problem and then the main constraint of her particular hospital.

Focused Operations for Health Services Organisations - Boaz Ronen, Joseph S. Pliskin, Shimeon Pass

This book offers Health Services managers and staff the practical knowledge and tools needed to accomplish much more within existing resources.
The text identifies common bottlenecks and constraints and focuses on the critical issues and processes faced by managers in the health care field. This book is filled with proven methods, including the Theory of Constraints, that can yield fast improvements in systems such as operating rooms and emergency departments, and it provides tools to significantly improve organisational operations as well as enhance quality and customer satisfaction without increasing the use of physical, human and financial resources.

Reaching the Goal: How Managers Improve a Services Business Using Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints - John Arthur Ricketts

Drawing on his extensive research with IBM, John Ricketts thoroughly adapts TOC to the needs of today's professional, scientific, and technical services businesses and reveals how to identify the surprising constraints that limit an organisation's performance, execute more effectively within those constraints, and then break or even eliminate them.

Reengineering the Sales Process - Justin Roff-Marsh

A comprehensive and carefully reasoned approach to the design, resourcing and management of the Sales Process. This approach applies process-engineering principles to mechanise the process and drum-buffer-rope to synchronize its operation. As well as theory, this book provides guidance on execution - how exactly to generate sales opportunities, how to manage promotional expenditure, how to work with resellers, and how to produce effective collateral material – as well as numerous case studies.

Lean Project Management: 8 Principles for Success – Larry Leach

This book takes a practical approach with simple steps to show you how to complete projects in half the time, all the time with the improved method of Critical Chain Project Management. Written for project managers taking on more challenging projects, or wanting to complete projects faster and with less team stress, Lean Project Management helps identify and deploy the key steps to project success. Lean Project Management builds on the understanding that no other project has been or will be exactly the same as the one you are running now or preparing to run. Focus on what matters most for your unique projects and project environment.

Projects in Less time: A Synopsis of Critical Chain - Mark J. Woeppel

Anyone who has ever managed a business project or been involved in one knows how difficult it is to finish on time. Multiply that one project by two or three or six, and you have a management nightmare. But it doesn't have to be that way. Not with the greatest innovation in business in forty years: Critical Chain Project Management. This way of doing business makes lagging productivity a thing of the past.

Great Boss, Dead Boss – Ray Immelman

In the ever-changing world of work, the ability to lead effectively is extremely valuable. Everyone who has spent time in an organisation has experienced the conflicts between functional “silos”, corporate and division, management and union, first shift and second shift ad nauseam.

Ray Immelman's view is that these conflicts stem from a universal behaviour pattern so deeply ingrained in our socio-organisational makeup that we cannot see it from inside. A manager who knows how to utilise this behaviour pattern can create a highly motivated organisation. By implementing this leadership model, people will want to be your subordinates. It leverages your effectiveness and visibility as a leader.

The Race - Eli Goldratt and Robert Fox

In 'The Goal', Alex Rogo developed a revolutionary new manufacturing system - Drum-Buffer-Rope. 'The Race' explains in detail what this system is, why it yields superior results and how it can be implemented. The book shows you how to use this superior system for generating logistical improvements, and demonstrates how to focus the improvements so they are global and not just local.
The epilogue and appendix quizzes will give the thoughtful reader insight in how to initiate and extend a process of ongoing improvement into other areas, such as marketing and financial control.

Manufacturing at Warp Speed - Eli Schragenheim and H. William Dettmer

The first book available on Simplified Drum-Buffer-Rope (S-DBR), describing the simplest, most efficient methods yet devised for reducing manufacturing cycle time and increasing the speed of manufacturing. This easy-to-understand book is packed with numerous examples, case studies and manufacturing scenarios which illustrate how S-DBR can result in dramatically faster manufacturing cycle times, shorter order-to-delivery lead times, higher on-time delivery reliability, and better customer satisfaction.
A 'Management Interactive Case Study Simulator' on CD-ROM is included, which sets up a virtual company where you can test and practice the processes you learn in the book before implementing them in your organisation.

Supply Chain Management at Warp Speed: Integrating the System from End to End – Eli Schragenheim, H William Dettmer, J. Wayne Patterson

The sequel to ‘Manufacturing at Warp Speed’, this is the first book to describe, in detail, the application of the TOC approach to assured availability in distribution, for both original equipment manufacturers and retailers.

The book refines and updates the former approach to production management with new ideas and integrates the TOC method for production, from make-to-order to make-to-stock and make-to-availability. Featuring numerous examples, case studies and manufacturing scenarios, the book provides TOC practitioners with the tools needed to address the performance issues of the entire supply chain and develop solutions that represent a win for the end-user as well as for stakeholders along the entire supply chain.