Bottleneck Busters: A Framework for Identifying and Removing Flow Blockers

May 26

What’s a Bottleneck?

A bottleneck is the part of your process that slows everything else down. It’s the constraint that determines your maximum output, no matter how efficient the rest of your system is. Think of it like this:

You can have a world class team, great tools, and ambitious goals, but if one part of your process can't keep up, everything backs up behind it.

According to the Lean Enterprise Institute:

“A bottleneck is the process step that limits the overall throughput of your operations.”

Types of Bottlenecks in Business

Here are the most common types I’ve seen again and again:

1. People Bottlenecks

Too many decisions or tasks go through one person. It could be you as the founder, or a department head who hasn’t delegated enough.

2. Process Bottlenecks

There’s a step in your workflow that’s too slow, too complex, or unnecessary.

3. Tool Bottlenecks

Old systems, bad integrations, or tools that just don’t scale. Software becomes your constraint instead of your enabler.

4. Decision Bottlenecks

Everything stops because decisions are centralized.
“Waiting on approval” becomes a recurring excuse.

5. Information Bottlenecks

Teams don’t have the data, access, or clarity to move forward.
Work waits. Deadlines slip.

6. Policy Bottlenecks

Overly rigid rules, compliance steps, or corporate red tape.

How to Identify Bottlenecks: 3 Simple Steps

These are the steps I use when helping clients diagnose where things are getting stuck:

1. Visualize the Flow

Draw out the process. End to end. Use a whiteboard (The easiest & the best), Miro, or Lucidchart.
→ Where are the slowdowns? What’s piling up?

2. Track Cycle Time vs. Wait Time

How long does each step actually take to complete?
And more importantly, how long does it sit waiting?
→ Bottlenecks often show up where the wait time exceeds the work time.

3. Ask Why 5 Times

Use the 5 Whys method to trace the root cause.
You’ll often find it’s not the step you think, it’s something upstream.

Here’s a simple example for a business bottleneck:

Problem: Customer onboarding takes 14 days.

Why is onboarding taking so long?
→ Because Compliance review takes 6 days.
Why does Compliance take 6 days?
→ Because they only start the review after Sales submits documentation.
Why does Sales delay document submission?
→ Because they wait for the account manager to confirm the client's info.
Why is the account manager confirmation delayed?
→ Because there's no automated handoff or notification system.
Why is there no automation in place?
→ Because the onboarding workflow hasn’t been reviewed or updated in 2 years.

Root Cause: The outdated onboarding workflow has no automation or clear responsibility triggers.

How to Remove Bottlenecks: My Go-To Framework

Here’s a practical structure I recommend. I call it the B.O.T.T.L.E. Method:

Break down the process

Isolate the step that's causing the constraint.

Optimize the step

Simplify, streamline, eliminate unnecessary parts.

Transfer the workload

Delegate or redistribute it to other capable team members.

Tool up

Improve the tech stack, integrate or automate.

Limit unnecessary inputs

Remove extra approvals, excessive meetings, or over processing.

Empower decision makers

Decentralize authority so teams can act without waiting.

Real-World Example: Amazon’s Delivery Bottleneck

Amazon’s biggest constraint used to be last-mile delivery. Third-party carriers (like FedEx or USPS) couldn’t handle their growth.

Their solution?

They mapped the flow of product to customer.
Saw that third-party delivery was the bottleneck.
Built Amazon Logistics to take control of delivery.
Introduced micro-fulfillment centers closer to urban hubs.
Leveraged route optimization tools and real-time data.

Result:
Delivery time dropped from 2 days to 1, customer satisfaction soared, and their operational bottleneck turned into a competitive advantage.

(Source: Harvard Business School Case – Amazon’s Last Mile Strategy)

Here’s How I Can Help

In my work as a COO and strategic advisor, I help founders and business owners:

Spot operational bottlenecks they’ve grown blind to
Map out processes across teams
Redesign systems for faster execution and scalability
Train leadership teams to take ownership of flow
Turn chaos into clarity through structure, delegation, and alignment

Whether your bottleneck is a person, process, or policy, once we identify and fix it, you’ll see immediate results.

If you're ready to identify and eliminate bottlenecks inside your business, visit CONSILIUMDYNAMICS.COM and let’s have a conversation.

Want to learn more about bottlenecks, use below resources:

Lean Enterprise Institute – www.lean.org
The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt (Theory of Constraints)
Harvard Business School Case: Amazon’s Last Mile Strategy
Six Sigma Institute – www.sixsigmainstitute.org
Toyota Production System Principles

Vahab Hasiri