Reaching the Goal: How Managers Improve a Services Business Using Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints

1. Introduction

• The Rise of Services

• Theory of Constraints

• Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

• Organization of This Book

• How to Read This Book

• Endnotes

We are all avid consumers of services, yet we seldom think much about where those services come from. Services are often like background music: Most are barely noticeable unless disrupted. How much we rely on services becomes painfully evident when the power goes out, planes stop flying, phones go dead, paychecks are late, hospitals are filled, day care is closed, water is shut off, Internet connections are lost, restaurants are closed, mail isn't delivered, 911 emergency lines are jammed, or automatic teller machines are down. When a disaster causes multiple service disruptions ...