7 min read · Interactive · TaktClock Learning Center
A bottleneck is the step in a production process where capacity is less than demand — the point where work piles up and the entire system's output is constrained. The Theory of Constraints holds that every system has exactly one primary bottleneck, and improving anything else is largely wasted effort until that constraint is addressed.
Goldratt's 5 Steps: Identify the constraint → Exploit it (get maximum output without new investment) → Subordinate everything else to it → Elevate it (add capacity) → Repeat for the new constraint.
Before adding capacity to a bottleneck, exploit the existing capacity fully. Common exploitation tactics:
1
Never starve the bottleneck
Ensure the bottleneck step is never waiting for material, a tool, or information. Buffer inventory directly before it to absorb upstream variability.
2
Never let the bottleneck sit idle
Breaks, changeovers, and meetings should not occur at the bottleneck unless non-bottleneck operators cover it. Every idle minute at the bottleneck is a permanently lost unit.
3
Move non-bottleneck work off it
Can any setup, cleanup, or administrative task be offloaded to a non-bottleneck operator? Freeing 15 minutes at the bottleneck can recover an entire unit of output per shift.
❓ Knowledge Check
According to the Theory of Constraints, if you improve the efficiency of a non-bottleneck step by 20%, what happens to total system throughput?
✓ Correct! This is one of the core insights of the Theory of Constraints. The system's output is capped by its bottleneck. Improving a non-bottleneck step only increases the rate at which work piles up in front of the bottleneck — it does not increase total throughput. You must improve the bottleneck itself.
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