[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.]

The Full-kit concept, first introduced in Chapter 13 continues to be refined – just as Eliyahu Goldratt used Rogo’s experience in the plant to refine key concepts in The Goal. By having clear checklists and only kicking off projects that have the necessary ingredients for success, Marc sees his department is getting more done and the people appear to be happier. His sister, Sam, running the company’s plant is unhappy and calls to tell him so – because Marc’s team increased throughput is releasing more to her team than she is prepared to handle. Similar to the original Goal, where the constraint is perceived to be the robot, the NCX-10, it turns out that there are more constraints once the process is fully mapped. Marc reflects on their situation with Abbie and they note that these ‘gates’ are effective and worth implementing in more positions in their project management process.

Best Quotes, Writing

“These preparations are tedious and they take time, but Marc made it clear he would not tolerate any exceptions.” Page 97

“There are still a lot of interruptions, but overall it’s quieter and less hectic than before.” Page 97

“Your people are asking for features that we can’t produce, again!” Marc’s sister Sam, who is frustrated by the downstream impact of his team’s improved throughput Page 98

“He had missed an important gate: the handover from engineering to production.” Page 98

“Well, the best way to go about it is to have planned handover meetings with the relevant people from engineering and production, as well as Rebecca.” Page 99

“It’s just that I’m already involved in so many meetings that I hardly have time to work.” Abbie to Marc on Page 100

“So, we started with one gate and ended up with two.” Page 101