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Follow the laggard? Not all bottlenecks are created equal
Author(s) -
Fung K. K.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
system dynamics review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.491
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1099-1727
pISSN - 0883-7066
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1727(199924)15:4<403::aid-sdr180>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - bottleneck , counterintuitive , throughput , confusion , computer science , process (computing) , link (geometry) , operations research , mathematical economics , mathematics , computer network , telecommunications , operating system , epistemology , philosophy , psychology , wireless , embedded system , psychoanalysis
In a mixed push and pull system, the location of the slowest link does not generally coincide with where the greatest congestion is. Goldratt's solution to the ever‐lengthening line of hikers thus assumes away the most difficult problem of correctly identifying the slowest link in a system. By putting the slowest hiker in front, Goldratt's solution seems to imply that the exact location of the most restrictive bottleneck is critical to increasing the throughput rate. In fact, the location of the slowest link does not affect the throughput rate of a batch process. This paper uses a system dynamics model to clarify some of the conceptual confusion that has been created by Goldratt's counterintuitive conclusions. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.