“Bottleneck” and “constraint” are terms used to describe limitations or restrictions in processes, and they are often used interchangeably. A bottleneck is always the slowest activity in a sub-process that, at a given time, cannot deliver what the customer demands. The bottleneck can shift depending on the time period or the product/product group/mix, and can vary over time. Machines, employees, and IT systems can also be bottlenecks.
A constraint is a general limitation that affects the performance of the system, such as the availability of employees or materials, which may be restricted by company policies or contracts. The Theory of Constraints (TOC), developed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, is a management philosophy that identifies constraints as the key factors for improving overall system performance. When one constraint is resolved, a new constraint emerges.
Case 1 – There is a process that constitutes the system:
In this case, there is only one bottleneck and several constraints within the process. If you eliminate this bottleneck in the process, it may (but not necessarily) become a constraint, and another constraint may become the new bottleneck.
Case 2 – There are multiple processes within a system:
In this case, there can be several bottlenecks in the system, such as in production, due to the presence of multiple processes. However, the system will have only one bottleneck if these processes are interdependent. There may be one or more constraints.
The Bottleneck (German: Flaschenhals) is the activity with the highest utilization and the greatest time delay in a process. The bottleneck (machine, IT, person) can only release a limited volume and is the slowest link in a process/system. It determines the speed at which the entire connected system/process can operate.
In general: In a process, there is only one bottleneck but multiple constraints.
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