The Chase

Rating:
Summary: Shows how theory fits in the real world.
Review: After 22 years in business and industry I can say that someone has finally written a management book that ties it all together. What "The Goal" did for manufacturing, "The Chase" will do for all business processes in general. Though it is written as a business novel, and the scenario is engineering based, the story and methods employed here are universal. I have had the good fortune of meeting Dr. Daneshgari at some of his seminars. I distinctly remember him because he called his job as being that of a "process detective" and the service that his firm provides as that of "an implementation company." He makes it very clear, in person and in his book, that he doesn't want to be called a "consultant" or even more trendily, a "resultant." The main wise-man character in this book, Damon Esphehani, is an amusing and thinly disguised nom-de-guerre for Parviz himself, lecturing to the other characters in his book, much in the same way he lectures to his students at the University of Michigan. Dr. Daneshgari's main theme in this book, "The faster you learn, the faster you learn" rings very true, and this book proceeds to clearly explain the process to fix the whole, and not a part, of a dysfunctional system or process. Destined to be a word-of-mouth management classic, this book is already creating a buzz among the consulting community, who frequently make their living by selling only partial solutions. Like "The Goal," some of the barbs shot at standard management practices in this book are so inflammatory that some of the issues broached in this book are best treated through the business novel format used here. To have done this book as a standard academic management text would have required endless peer-review and life-long defense of the concepts, while under this method, we all get to enjoy a wonderful story and learn at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Entertains as it instructs-Well written for all businesses.
Review: As you are entertained, you find yourself thinking about your own business. The light bulb goes on! Why are we in business? We may all need to be reminded at times.

Rating:
Summary: Voyeuristic View of an Engineering Manager's World
Review: This book was a great read! It affords the reader a voyeuristic view into the engineering / automotive / upper to middle manager's world. When you read this book, you feel as if you are a fly on the wall. You feel very much a part of the story. And this book makes you think! I very much enjoyed its thought provoking content, its local (Michigan) flavor, and the aforementioned voyeuristic view into the engineering manager world.

Rating:
Summary: Voyeuristic View of an Engineering Manager's World
Review: This book was a great read! It affords the reader a voyeuristic view into the engineering / automotive / upper to middle manager's world. When you read this book, you feel as if you are a fly on the wall. You feel very much a part of the story. And this book makes you think! I very much enjoyed its thought provoking content, its local (Michigan) flavor, and the aforementioned voyeuristic view into the engineering manager world.

Rating:
Summary: Shows how theory fits in the real world.
Review: This story weaves many valuable and far reaching concepts into an entertaining tale of people coping with the need to invent new technology and also live full lives. I recommend this book to anyone who develops new products or wonders how it can be done better.