What is a Bottleneck?

A bottleneck is an inefficiency in a process that slows progress, often by increasing the workload.

A bottleneck is a constraint in the process that creates a backlog of work to be done. These are typically not good for any process. 

---

The following questions may help the team understand the nature of the bottlenecks:

• What is being constrained: information, product, service?
• Why does it exist, what are the factors contributing, and are these factors people, systems, or organisational?
• Is the bottleneck the result of handoffs or lack of information?
• Is the bottleneck the result of a resource constraint and what type of resource: human, system, or machinery?
• Are there unnecessary checkpoints that can be eliminated?
• If multiple streams are processing information in parallel, do the streams come together at the same time or is one waiting for the other?
• Does the process create a backlog upstream or downstream from the process?

How to tackle bottlenecks?

Multiple solutions are available to tackle identified issues. It must go through a deep analysis to find the most suitable resolution.  Here are some suggestions of how to deal with bottlenecks:

• Increasing the workforce and/or operators – with a larger workforce it’s possible to create a smoother transition between processes, increasing efficiency.
• Minimising downtime – With proper preparation it’s possible to reduce setup and changeover times giving more time to focus on the actual work.
• Eliminating unnecessary activities – Remove waste operations to give more time for your efficient processes, increasing productivity.
• Provide a constant buffer stock upstream – The most effective processes are in perpetual motion. They require stocks and materials to be ready for use immediately.

Further resources of Bottleneck:

• Read about the Lean technique called Makigami to learn how to find bottlenecks and other faults
• Business Process Management Common Body of Knowledge (BPM CBOK, 2009), The Association of Business Process Management Professionals

Related Links:

• Kaizen
• Lean
• SCRUM
• Building processes – Case study
• Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)

---

Explore more about different process improvement terms in our BPM Glossary.