A systematic method for identifying the constraints or limiting factors in a process that restrict overall throughput or performance. It focuses on finding the weakest link that determines the maximum capacity of the entire system.
From 'bottleneck,' referring to the narrow neck of a bottle that limits flow rate, first used metaphorically in the 1890s. 'Analysis' comes from Greek 'analyein' (to break up). The business application became prominent during WWII production planning and was later formalized in operations research and the Theory of Constraints.
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