MANAGEMENT MANTRA – BOTTLE NECKS
Very Complex system has bottlenecks. Identifying them can be very useful for solving problems. It is our tendency to hate limits and to try to push them back, but sometimes bottlenecks are useful.
In a business context, bottlenecks can be expensive and are often associated with control points. Decision making often represents the most serious bottleneck. When managers become overloaded, they feel overwhelmed and are reluctant to make major decisions.
For understanding a complex system, it is very useful to first identify the bottlenecks. It is not sufficient to eliminate a bottleneck, because this is likely to merely create a bottleneck somewhere else. A properly designed system does not have any critical major bottlenecks that can disrupt production or workflow, but may have many little ones that cause only minor delays. A key to such design is to avoid flows of materials or decisions that are too centrally focused.
In design problems, bottlenecks are a constant source of problems and solutions. In computers , for example, bottlenecks in data flow can make or break a system design. A fast CPU is not much use with a slow bus, because the user will perceive it as a slow computer.
Overall, bottlenecks are very important control points. Manipulating a system often involves the creation of control points in the form of bottlenecks. If bottlenecks already exist, manipulating them or relieving them can change system behaviour. It is not the case, however, that it is always wise to eliminate bottlenecks, though the natural tendency is to do so.
TAIL PIECE – In a business setting, a bottleneck in production represents an opportunity to improve productivity.
– Brig (Retd) K Harikumar
15 Dec 1997