Today searching web for goal programming sources I suddenly learned that last year Eliyahu Goldratt died. He was 64. I remember how impressed I was with his books “The Goal” and “Theory of Constraints” that helped me with an implementation of a custom supply chain system at the end of 90’s. I remember reading “The Goal” aloud to my wife – it was more than another technical book. Not being a native English speaker, he used plain English to explain complex issues in a very unconventional way.

In the recent book “The Choice” he shares with his daughter these thoughts: “I smile and start to count on my fingers: One, people are good. Two, every conflict can be removed. Three, every situation, no matter how complex it initially looks, is exceedingly simple. Four, every situation can be substantially improved; even the sky is not the limit. Five, every person can reach a full life. Six, there is always a win-win solution. Shall I continue to count?”

I never met him in person. Once I wanted to attend his lecture but because of a conflict in my schedule I decided: “Another time.” Sometimes we think that smart people to learn from will always be around… At least, I frequently recommended his books to my colleagues and today I ordered his last book. Thank you, Eliyahu Goldratt.