Prepare a 3-5 page double spaced (750-1250 word) review of Eli Goldratt’s book “The Goal.” The
paper should consist of a brief review of the book, focusing on topics of your choosing. Below are
examples of things you could include in the paper. I am providing these ideas to get you started but
you are welcome to discuss other topics that you believe are relevant or interesting. The assignment
is worth a total of 100 points and grades are based on quality, depth of discussion, cohesiveness, and
mechanics. See the attached Rubric for more information.
Creativity is encouraged!
Ideas to help you get started:
• What is The Goal?
• What prevents an organization from achieving the goal?.
• What is the Theory of Constraints, including the 5 steps?
• How does the Theory of Constraints define Throughput, Inventory, and Operating Expense?
• What did Alex learn about Dependent Events versus Statistical Fluctuations on the Boy Scout
hike?
o What did Alex learn from the dice game (match-stick bowl) experiment?
o Explain the Drum, Buffer, Rope concept and how it relates to Herbie
• What is a constraint?
• Why does Alex condemn placing emphasis on the efficiency of non-constraints?
• What is a balanced plant?
• What did Alex discover about batch size? How did batch size impact inventory? Throughput?
• What are your personal take-aways or how these concepts be applied to your own life or work
experiences