A business novel focusing on project management. The novel aims to provoke readers to examine and reassess their business practices and transform the thinking and actions of managers.

In this sequel to Goldratt's great business novel "The Goal," Alex and his team have all been promoted into the key positions in the faltering Diversified Businesses group in their conglomerate. The whole company is faltering, and great pressure is put on Alex and the team to turn their businesses around. The story emphasizes the Thinking Processes from "The Goal," and he devotes much of his attention to demonstrating the relevance of the theory of constraints to marketing, sales, inventory control, distribution channels, strategic alliances, and conflict resolution.

This book is written in the attempt to deal with these two major questions: what are the thinking processes that enable people to invent simple solutions to seemingly complicated situations? And the question of how to use the psychological aspects to assist rather than impare, the implementation of those solutions in a mode of an ongoing process.