Contents
Concept · Bottleneck migration
What happens when the next step cannot keep up?
Explanation of a policy hypothesis and measurement distinctionWhen one stage speeds up, another stage may become the main limit on the whole process. The gain and the remaining constraint both matter.
A developer can finish their contribution much sooner while the project still waits on other decisions. A cabinet shop can reduce coordination work and then find that skilled workers or workshop space limit expansion.
The point that controls the overall pace has changed, or become easier to see. [§4.5]
Keep three questions separate:
| Question | What it tells us |
|---|---|
| What improved in this person's or team's work? | The local gain. |
| What additional useful result is the whole process delivering now? | The realized system gain. |
| What could become possible if a specific constraint were addressed? | Potential that still needs to be tested and costed. |
What improved in this person's or team's work?
What it tells us
The local gain.
What additional useful result is the whole process delivering now?
What it tells us
The realized system gain.
What could become possible if a specific constraint were addressed?
What it tells us
Potential that still needs to be tested and costed.
A verified local gain does not disappear because another constraint remains. It also does not establish an equal improvement in the whole organization. [§8.3] [Measurement companion §6.4]
Where to go next
Source passages
§4.5Policy framework: Bottlenecks migrate§8.3Policy framework: Evidence proportional to the decision§6.4Measurement companion: System throughput
Related
Examples
- Suggested firstCoordinating municipal repairs: A municipal team finds where faster work stops helpingIllustrative scenario — local gain, service outcome unresolved
- Building websites: A web developer changes where their effort goesBased on a real-world practitioner account
- Running a cabinet shop: A cabinetmaker builds a tool around the businessIllustrative scenario · assumed outcomes
A limit worth testing
“You haven't shown that the developer completes whole projects faster.”