The Goal Chapter Summary

I chose to read “The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement” by Eliyahu M. Goldratt because of its high esteemed recognition throughout the business world. This book introduced a new concept called the Theory of Constraints, as well as illustrating real life examples of bottlenecks and managerial issues that determine the success of a manufacturing company. The story revolves around Alex, a father and husband, who works as a manager of UniCo Manufacturing in charge of the injection molding division. In the first chapter, Alex arrives at work to the news that the Vice President of the division, Mr. Peach, makes a visit to the plant regarding an overdue order of one of the company’s biggest customers. Although, Alex learns Mr. Peach is here for more than just the overdue order he has come to tell Alex that the manufacturing plant is in danger of being eliminated from the company, unless he can revive the plant’s operations in a matter of three short months. We are then introduced to Alex’s family, and we also learn that tensions are already high between him and his wife Julie. Throughout the book, Alex has to juggle with problems at work and at …show more content…
They begin to discuss Alex’s position with UniCo and briefly, talk of the status of the company; Jonah notices the extent of trouble that the company is in and offers Alex the question “what is the goal of your manufacturing organization?”. Alex replies immediately, without considering why Jonah proposed this question to him. Alex becomes more puzzled by Jonah’s question with every wrong answer. Throughout the book Jonah acts as an omniscient mentor to Alex, constantly providing him with riddles to help him discover how to save and improve his manufacturing plant. While talking with the plant controller, Alex eventually realizes the answer to Jonah’s first question, the goal of his organization is to make