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The slowest stage can set the pace
A bottleneck constrains the throughput of a process.
The idea
Speeding up a stage that already has spare capacity may not increase final output. The limiting stage deserves attention.
An example
A café can prepare 30 orders an hour but take payment for only 15; faster preparation alone will not fix the queue.
Put it into practice
Find the limiting step before improving the busiest-looking step.
Further reading: OpenStax · Managerial Accounting ↗
Test yourself: What limits output in this café example?
Payment capacity
Only 15 payments an hour can pass through the limiting stage.
Explanation and illustrative examples by One Card Wiser. Source linked for further reading.
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