[If you haven’t read the original version of The Goal – it’s a better book. Here’s a chapter-by-chapter video summary, and a <60 second summary too.]

[Click here for a 60 second video summary of the first 8 chapters of Goldratt’s rules of flow.]

Summary

Isaac Wilson’s company has just lost its biggest customer because their projects are always behind schedule and late. He tells his son, Marc, an MBA who runs the engineering and project management team, and also mentions that he may find a buyer for the business.

Page by Page Commentary and Highlights (Pages 1 – 5)

Page 1

There are two incomplete sentences on the very first page, which is disappointing. One of the great aspects of The Goal is the form factor that Goldratt chose and that the writing still holds up over time.

The 2nd sentence: “Some legal jargon about poor service and breaching agreed-upon terms, with the last line: “We will no longer be using your services.”

The 5th sentence: “A large company that has been doing business with them for over fifteen years.”

Page 2

“Damn. We missed the final due date only by a month or so.” – Marc Wilson to his father, Isaac.

Page 3

“Rushing to finish projects at the very last minute has become the norm and they are missing more and more due dates.” – Page 3

“Deep inside, Isaac had been hoping that Marc would also figure out some kind of miracle to manage engineering more efficiently, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.” – Page 3 – It’s a red flag when you’re looking for miracles.

Page 4

Type setting error – lack of indentation or mistaken carriage return in a paragraph.

“I’m afraid you don’t,” Isaac replies. “We need to look at the big picture here.”

Page 5

“That’s why I’m going to start looking for a buyer.”