Eliyahu, or Eli, Goldratt is an Israeli business management expert known for his innovative theories in his field, often published in the form of business novels. His first business novel was The Goal, which developed the Theory of Constraints using the manufacturing field as a backdrop for his methods of improving accounting and organizational practices. His second book, The Race, is a nonfiction work that was intended to help with continuing to implement TOC using the drum-buffer-rope method. Critical Chain is Eli’s third business novel, and it seeks to apply the Theory of Constraints to project management, with the result being CCPM, or Critical Chain Project Management, which focuses on organizing projects around constraints to more efficiently manage and schedule tasks and resources. Goldratt continued to refine TOC and expand on its applications through the Goldratt Group, which he founded and funded, and he published 12 works of fiction and nonfiction, as well as one play, before his death in 2011.

Business novels, also called business fables, are fictional works that seek to explain critical facets of business and management through inspirational or motivational narratives. Literature has often been viewed as a means to communicate morals and social conventions, which business novels adapt to communicate theories, practices, and methodology to readers.