Bottleneck-First Optimization¶

Optimizing anything other than the current bottleneck produces no observable improvement; work flows through the system at the rate of its slowest component

Tension Addressed¶

Simplicity vs. Performance

Recognizable As¶

CPU-bound vs I/O-bound analysis, resource utilization monitoring, "the system is only as fast as its slowest part"

Canonical Sources¶

Goldratt, "The Goal" (1984); Gregg, "Systems Performance" (2020)

Transfers To¶

Manufacturing (Theory of Constraints), supply chain management, project management, network design

This concept derives from the Theory of Constraints: improving non-bottleneck components wastes effort because throughput is governed by the constraint. The bottleneck shifts as you optimize, requiring iterative measurement.