10 books like Throughput Economics

By Eli Schragenheim, Henry Camp, Rocco Surace

Here are 10 books that authors have personally recommended if you like Throughput Economics. Shepherd is a community of 7,000+ authors sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Critical Chain

By Eliyahu M Goldratt,

Book cover of Critical Chain: A Business Novel

When I read this book, it was like an epiphany. Suddenly, I understood what—beyond all the doctrines and pub talkactually slows down projects and thus impairs the economic performance of companies. It is our own management mechanisms and beliefs about how we think we can get a grip on projects. Shortly after reading this novel, we were able to perform nothing short of miracles in a technology company I was working for at the time: Halving project times, doubling productivity. You have to have witnessed that to really believe it... Read this book!

Critical Chain

By Eliyahu M Goldratt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Critical Chain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This fast-paced business novel does for project management what The Goal and It's Not Luck have done for production and marketing. Goldratt's novels have traditionally slain sacred cows and delivered new ways of looking at processes which seem like common sense once you read them. Critical Chain is no exception. In perhaps Eli's most readable book yet, two of the established principles of project management, the engineering estimate and project milestones, are found wanting and dismissed, and other established principles are up for scrutiny - as Goldratt once more applies his Theory of Constraints. The approach is radical, yet clear,…


Reaching the Goal

By John Arthur Ricketts,

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

Of course, when I started to apply the insights from "Critical Chain" over and over again in different companies, not everything always went smoothly. That was frustrating—for me and the people I worked with. Every company—or rather, every business—has its own idiosyncrasies. Understanding that and being able to take it into account when accelerating an entire project portfolio was crucial. Reading Reaching the Goal helped me a lot in this. Ricketts writes from his many years of experience at IBM.

Reaching the Goal

By John Arthur Ricketts,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Reaching the Goal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"There is no doubt that this is a truly original and groundbreaking work in applying the Theory of Constraints. I run a services company and learned some things about the services business. Anyone involved in large services companies needs to look at what John is proposing. I will definitely quote this material frequently."

ChadSmith, Managing Partner, Constraints Management Group

"The information presented in this book is badly needed by service providers who struggle to balance supply and demand with their resources."

Carol A. Ptak, CFPIM, CIRM

"The techniques that John brings to light in this book are the bridge from…


A Sense of Urgency

By John P. Kotter,

Book cover of A Sense of Urgency

Accelerating projects and completing more projects per year is existential for almost every company. The economic and financial leverage is enormous if, for example, 20% or 50% more projects can be completed per yearwithout significantly increasing operating costs. Nevertheless, it has happened time and again that there were so many construction sites in the company that it was not at all clear why accelerating the project portfolio should be given the highest priority. Kotter's book provided me with key insights that my colleagues and I were able to implement immediately. With success!

A Sense of Urgency

By John P. Kotter,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Sense of Urgency as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Most organizational change initiatives fail spectacularly (at worst) or deliver lukewarm results (at best). In his international bestseller Leading Change, John Kotter revealed why change is so hard, and provided an actionable, eight-step process for implementing successful transformations. The book became the change bible for managers worldwide. Now, in A Sense of Urgency, Kotter shines the spotlight on the crucial first step in his framework: creating a sense of urgency by getting people to actually see and feel the need for change. Why focus on urgency? Without it, any change effort is doomed. Kotter reveals the insidious nature of complacency…


Goldratt's Rules of Flow

By Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag,

Book cover of Goldratt's Rules of Flow

I have been waiting for this book, published in 2023, since Eli Goldratt published Critical Chain. It describes very clearly in the form of a novel not only how an extraordinarily effective multi-project organization works, but also how a traditionally managed organization can transform itself very quickly and sustainably into a highly productive enterprise. In each chapter, I recognized myself in the challenges that I face again and again. Thank you, Efrat, for this profound yet easy-to-read book!

Goldratt's Rules of Flow

By Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Goldratt's Rules of Flow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Marc Wilson is not giving up. He is determined to turn around the struggling family company and keep it, despite his father’s decision to sell. The problem is that they are late on more and more projects and their customers won’t tolerate it anymore. Marc is looking everywhere for a solution, when in one of his MBA classes he comes across a unique approach that views operations in terms of flow.

The concept of flow is straightforward. It’s easy to visualize the stream of projects going through the system and understand that if something clogs the flow, the projects pile…


Predictably Irrational

By Dan Ariely,

Book cover of Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

I found Predictably Irrational by Dr. Dan Ariely fascinating. This book provides a deep understanding of how and why people make decisions and how these decisions are affected by emotions, social norms, and other hidden forces. As a marketer, understanding the predictable irrationality of human behavior can help you craft more effective campaigns, pricing strategies, and communication. The book will improve your understanding of consumer behavior and help you make better decisions.

Predictably Irrational

By Dan Ariely,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked Predictably Irrational as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Why do smart people make irrational decisions every day? The answers will surprise you. Predictably Irrational is an intriguing, witty and utterly original look at why we all make illogical decisions.

Why can a 50p aspirin do what a 5p aspirin can't? If an item is "free" it must be a bargain, right? Why is everything relative, even when it shouldn't be? How do our expectations influence our actual opinions and decisions?

In this astounding book, behavioural economist Dan Ariely cuts to the heart of our strange behaviour, demonstrating how irrationality often supplants rational thought and that the reason for…


Nudge

By Cass R. Sunstein, Richard H. Thaler,

Book cover of Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness

This book introduced the concept of nudging into the public discourse, and I guess all of us have encountered it one way or the other. How many reminders have I gotten to sign up for this or that program?… Alas, I love Thaler and Sunstein's concept of choice architects. It made me think about power as a capacity to affect not only people but also the very framework in which people make decisions.

Nudge

By Cass R. Sunstein, Richard H. Thaler,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Nudge as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now available: Nudge: The Final Edition

The original edition of the multimillion-copy New York Times bestseller by the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, Richard H. Thaler, and Cass R. Sunstein: a revelatory look at how we make decisions—for fans of Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, James Clear’s Atomic Habits, and Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow

Named a Best Book of the Year by TheEconomist and the Financial Times

Every day we make choices—about what to buy or eat, about financial investments or our children’s health and education, even about the causes we champion…


Nudge

By Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein,

Book cover of Nudge

After "bias," what is the second-most-popular behavioral science buzzword? Nudge, of course. Some think nudges are a brilliant invention; others claim they're a tool for cynical manipulation. Whether you are in one camp or in the other, the place to start is the book that made the case for "libertarian paternalism," now in a new, "final" edition. If you think you already know what nudges are, you may be surprised to find that "choice architecture," as Thaler and Sunstein call it, is a much more subtle art than you think.

Nudge

By Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Nudge as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

*Once again a New York Times bestseller! First the original edition, and now the new Final Edition*

An essential new edition revised and updated from cover to cover of one of the most important books of the last two decades, by Nobel Prize winner Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein

More than 2 million copies sold

Since the original publication of Nudge more than a decade ago, the title has entered the vocabulary of businesspeople, policy makers, engaged citizens, and consumers everywhere. The book has given rise to more than 400 "nudge units" in governments around the world and…


Prediction Machines

By Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, Avi Goldfarb

Book cover of Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence

This book lays out one of the most useful big-picture ways to put AI to use:  as a predictive tool. The central point of the book is that from a business/economic standpoint, AI increases accuracy and reduces the cost of making data-driven predictions. The benefit of reducing the cost of predicting in business is enormous and this book lays that out clearly. And the rest of it is focused on how that will affect the world around us. I recommend this book highly to any manager who is thinking through what AI means for their firm. The writing style is clear – not excessively technical. A great read for everyone!

Prediction Machines

By Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, Avi Goldfarb

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Prediction Machines as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"What does AI mean for your business? Read this book to find out." -- Hal Varian, Chief Economist, Google Artificial intelligence does the seemingly impossible, magically bringing machines to life--driving cars, trading stocks, and teaching children. But facing the sea change that AI will bring can be paralyzing. How should companies set strategies, governments design policies, and people plan their lives for a world so different from what we know? In the face of such uncertainty, many analysts either cower in fear or predict an impossibly sunny future.

But in Prediction Machines, three eminent economists recast the rise of AI…


The Midnight Library

By Matt Haig,

Book cover of The Midnight Library

Is it time travel? Maybe. What if we made different choices? Do we regret the ones we made? Nora Seed’s portal between life and death is a library full of books with all her regrets and missed opportunities. The former librarian in me loved the idea of going back to fix our past mistakes – or were they? This is one of the most uplifting books I have ever read.  

The Midnight Library

By Matt Haig,

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked The Midnight Library as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The #1 New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon

Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick | Independent (London) Ten Best Books of the Year

"A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits."-The Washington Post

The dazzling reader-favorite about the choices that go into a life well lived, from the acclaimed author of How To Stop Time and The Comfort Book.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of…


Upstream

By Dan Heath,

Book cover of Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen

This eye-opening and informative book provides vivid examples of small problems that became real tragedies due to inaction, miscommunication, and poor decision-making. By looking upstream to seek and address root causes of problems, we can save money, improve lives, and increase productivity. I loved the gripping examples Dan Heath used in this book. It was as engaging as reading a novel, yet provided substantial information based on careful research.

Upstream

By Dan Heath,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Upstream as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Times bestselling author Dan Heath asks what happens when we take our thinking upstream and try to prevent problems before they happen.

When we shift our energies upstream, we stop dealing with the symptoms of problems and we start fixing problems.

If we can stop crimes from being committed, we do not need to work to 'solve' crimes.
If we can prevent chronic diseases from developing, we do not need to treat these diseases.
If we can provide affordable housing, we do not need to provide shelter for the homeless.
Looking to business, politics, and society, Dan Heath…


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