Go Conditions a Board Paper Can Actually Enforce
Go conditions in board papers must enforce audited site throughput metrics and locked capital drawdown tranches rather than unadjusted vendor claims.
Bottleneck Migration
Meaning
Operational shift in production constraints occurring when process optimization at one stage transfers the limiting throughput rate to a downstream or upstream workstation. Process engineers observe bottleneck migration during capacity scaling phases when local cycle time reductions exceed the absorption capability of adjacent equipment. The phenomenon marks the boundary where localized efficiency gains cease to increase overall plant output.
Shift Dynamic
Physical capacity adjustments often trigger unexpected relocations of operational latency across a line. When automated assembly speed increases, component inspection stations frequently become the new constraint due to manual handling limits. Upstream accumulation increases material buffer costs while downstream equipment experiences forced starvation.
Capacity Measurement
Automated line monitoring tracks queue sizes and buffer depletion rates to locate active constraints during full-rate production runs. Pilot trials often fail to reveal bottleneck migration because low-volume runs do not stress buffer limits or secondary processing units. A supplier forecast based on isolated machine cycle times regularly overstates system throughput by ignoring these dynamic shifting constraints.
Identifying the shift requires measuring active wait times across consecutive work centers under continuous load.
System Impact
Failure to anticipate shifting operational constraints leads to capital misallocation on non-critical machinery. Line balancing models must account for dynamic relocations to preserve expected return on investment. Unplanned constraint shifts disrupt production schedules and inflate work-in-progress inventory across the factory floor.