The Goal: a process of Ongoing Improvement

INTRODUCTION TO
THE FIRST EDITION
"The Goal’’ is about New global principles of manufacturing. It’s about
people trying to understand what makes their world tick so that they can
make it better. As they think logically and consistently about their problems
they are able to determine "cause and effect’’ relationships between their
actions and the results. In the process they deduce some basic principles
which they use to save their plant and make it successful.
I view science as nothing more than an understanding of the way the
world is and 
why 
it is that way. At any given time our scientific knowledge is
simply the current state of the art of our understanding. I do not believe in
absolute truths. I fear such beliefs because they block the search for better
understanding. Whenever we think we have final answers progress, science,
and better understanding ceases. Understanding of our world is not something
to be pursued for its own sake, however. Knowledge should be pursued, I
believe, to make our world better—to make life more fulfilling.
There are several reasons I chose a novel to explain my understanding of
manufacturing—how it works (reality) and why it works that way. First, I
want to make these principles more understandable and show how they can
bring order to the chaos that so often exists in our plants. Second, I wanted to
illustrate the power of this understanding and the benefits it can bring. The
results achieved are not fantasy; they have been, and are being, achieved in
real plants. The western world does not have to become a second or third rate
manufacturing power. If we just understand and apply the correct principles,
we can compete with anyone. I also hope that readers would see the validity
and value of these principles in other organizations such as banks, hospitals,
insurance companies and our families. Maybe the same potential for growth
and improvement exists in all organizations.

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Finally, and most importantly, I wanted to show that we can all be
outstanding scientists. 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. Almost everyone who has worked in a plant is at least uneasy
about the use of cost accounting efficiencies to control our actions. Yet few
have challenged this sacred cow directly. Progress in understanding requires
that we challenge basic assumptions about how the world is and why it is that
way. If we can better understand our world and the principles that govern it, I
suspect all our lives will be better.
Good luck in your search for these principles and for your own understanding
of "The Goal.’’

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