Quotes from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“So this is the goal: To make money by increasing net profit, while simultaneously increasing return on investment, and simultaneously increasing cash flow.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“What you have learned is that the capacity of the plant is equal to the capacity of its bottlenecks,” says Jonah.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“STEP 1. Identify the system’s bottlenecks. (After all it wasn’t too difficult to identify the oven and the NCX10 as the bottlenecks of the plant.)
STEP 2. Decide how to exploit the bottlenecks. (That was fun. Realizing that those machines should not take a lunch break, etc.)
STEP 3. Subordinate everything else to the above decision. (Making sure that everything marches to the tune of the constraints. The red and green tags.)
STEP 4. Elevate the system’s bottlenecks. (Bringing back the old Zmegma, switching back to old, less “effective” routings. . . .)
STEP 5. If, in a previous step, a bottleneck has been broken go back to step 1.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“Well, I don’t. Not absolutely. But adopting "making money’’ as the goal of a manufacturing organization looks like a pretty good assumption. Because, for one thing, there isn’t one item on that list that’s worth a damn if the company isn’t making money.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“More importantly, our software worked. I don't just mean that it didn't bump, or that it performed according to the written specifications, or that it was efficient in producing reports. It really worked”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“I smile and start to count on my fingers: One, people are good. Two, every conflict can be removed. Three, every situation, no matter how complex it initially looks, is exceedingly simple. Four, every situation can be substantially improved; even the sky is not the limit. Five, every person can reach a full life. Six, there is always a win-win solution. Shall I continue to count?”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“The entire bottleneck concept is not geared to decrease operating expense, it’s focused on increasing throughput.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“Putting it precisely, activating a resource and utilizing a resource are not synonymous.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“utilizing” a resource means making use of the resource in a way that moves the system toward the goal. “Activating” a resource is like pressing the ON switch of a machine; it runs whether or not there is any benefit to be derived from the work it’s doing.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“For the ability to answer three simple questions: ‘what to change?’, ‘what to change to?’, and ‘how to cause the change?’ Basically what we are asking for is the most fundamental abilities one would expect from a manager.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“In summary, both Ford and Ohno followed four concepts (from now on we’ll refer to them as the concepts of flow): Improving flow (or equivalently lead time) is a primary objective of operations. This primary objective should be translated into a practical mechanism that guides the operation when not to produce (preventsoverproduction). Ford used space; Ohno used inventory. Local efficiencies must be abolished. A focusing process to balance flow must be in place. Ford used direct observation. Ohno used the gradual reduction of the number of containers and then gradual reduction of parts per container. The”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“They’re measurements which express the goal of making money perfectly well, but which also permit you to develop operational rules for running your plant,” he says. “There are three of them. Their names are throughput, inventory and operational expense.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“Since the strength of the chain is determined by the weakest link, then the first step to improve an organization must be to identify the weakest link.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“Bob comes into the office with a smear of grease on his white shirt over the bulge of his beer gut, and he’s talking nonstop about what’s going on with the breakdown of the automatic testing machines. “Bob,” I tell him, “forget about that for now.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“Henry Ford achieved the highest throughput per worker of any car manufacturing company of his time.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“Mr. Granby next time you two have”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“-En todos lados, el mejoramiento ha sido interpretado como sinónimo de ahorro en costos. La gente se concentra en reducir el gasto de operación como si fuera el indicador mas importante.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“The secret of being a good scientist, I believe, lies not in our brain power. We have enough. We simply need to look at reality and think logically and precisely about what we see. The key ingredient is to have the courage to face inconsistencies between what we see and deduce and the way things are done. This challenging of basic assumptions is essential to breakthroughs.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“Eli Goldratt passed away at his home in Israel on June 11th, 2011, in the company of his family and close friends.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“La máxima desviación de una operación precedente pasara a ser el punto inicial de la operación siguiente.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“Whenever we think we have final answers progress, science, and better understanding ceases.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“No,” he says. “Through sales— not production. If you produce something, but don’t sell it, it’s not throughput. Got it?”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“Inventory is all the money that the system has invested in purchasing things which it intends to sell.” I”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“Operational expense,” he says. “Operational expense is all the money the system spends in order to turn inventory into throughput.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“productividad es el acto de acercar a la empresa a su meta. Las acciones que acercan a una compañía a su meta son productivas. Las acciones que no acercan a la compañía a su meta no son productivas.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“bringing a company closer to its goal. Every action that brings a company closer to its goal is productive. Every action that”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“If you don’t manufacture a quality product all you’ve got at the end is a bunch of expensive mistakes.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

“Science is simply the method we use to try and postulate a minimum set of assumptions that can explain, through a straightforward logical derivation, the existence of many phenomena of nature.”
― Eliyahu M. Goldratt, quote from The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

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“he first time I ever laid eyes on you, you were jogging with your friend, Hilary,” he murmured. I lowered my gaze back to the tiny shoe and smiled.

“The first time I ever had the pleasure of hearing your voice,” he titled his head in thought, “you ended up tripping and needed bandaged.”

His finger brushed over the tiny silver Band-Aid. Tears began pooling in my eyes. His gift was unlike anything I ever expected. I wasn’t sure what to think or even feel in that moment.

“The first time I knew you were more than a pretty face,” he smiled, his thumb caressing my cheek for the briefest moment, “you brought Oliver and me muffins.” His voice cracked and I bit my bottom lip as he touched upon the tiny muffin.

The burn of a stray tear as it slipped down my cheek pulled my gaze to my lap. Quickly, I wiped it away.

Next, he held up the miniature swimming pool in his hand and I laughed, looking up at him.

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My head shot down, heat creeping up my cheeks. I shook my head, chuckling.

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He looked back down, frowning. “I can’t image you not being here today.”

My heart swelled helping me find my voice.

“The pumpkin patch,” I said, running my fingers over the shiny jack-o-lantern.

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I smiled, his words soothing every part of my soul.

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