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Bottleneck Identification Calculator

Work out bottleneck identification instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Bottleneck Identification Calculator

A serial line runs at the pace of its slowest station, so throughput is shift seconds divided by the bottleneck cycle time. Every other station accumulates idle time equal to the difference from the bottleneck, and that idle time is the capacity released if the bottleneck is improved.

Formulas

Bottleneck throughput

Throughput = shift seconds / longest station cycle time

Idle time

Idle per cycle = sum over stations of (bottleneck time - station time)

Worked example

With the default values below, Bottleneck Identification Calculator returns Shift Throughput of 524. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Station 1 Cycle Timeminimum 0.01 seconds
42 seconds
Station 2 Cycle Timeminimum 0.01 seconds
55 seconds
Station 3 Cycle Timeminimum 0.01 seconds
48 seconds
Shift Lengthminimum 0.1 hours
8 hours

Results

Shift Throughput
524
Bottleneck Station
Station 2
Bottleneck Cycle Time
55.00
Total Idle Time Per Cycle
20.00

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Bottleneck throughput
  3. 3Idle time
  4. 4Shift Throughput= 524
  5. 5Bottleneck Station= Station 2
  6. 6Bottleneck Cycle Time= 55.00
  7. 7Total Idle Time Per Cycle= 20.00

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where should improvement effort go?

Only the bottleneck. Time saved anywhere else does not raise output, which is the central insight of the theory of constraints.

Does the bottleneck move?

Yes. Once you improve it past the next slowest station, that station becomes the constraint. Re-measure after every significant change.

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