I was first exposed to the Theory of Constraints while working at BHP on a project in Oakland, CA, during the late 1990's. I read The Goal and was smitten by it. Using a story format to teach a powerful principle seemed brilliant. I still view it as such.
The very short version of the Theory of Constraints is that in your organization you need to identify the one bottleneck that is truly holding you back. Often we thrash about making improvements in non-bottleneck areas and then are surprised when results do not improve. Each of the following novels I have read and recommend every one of them to you! Each is set in a different industry with different challenges:
The Goal
Necessary But Not Sufficient
We All Fall Down
It's Not Luck
Critical Chain
And, a new favorite by Michael Dalton, Simplifying Innovation, moves the discussion from production, to innovation - really to getting the right product mix and priorities. These are fairly quick reads, but each is very educational and the concepts are powerful!
