Follow the Flow, Not the Largest Number
A bottleneck is a constraint that limits the useful flow through the process being examined. Increasing capacity elsewhere may leave delivery unchanged. Start with one unit, a defined period and the actual sequence of work. Distinguish material ordered, material received, complete accepted stock, dispatch and final delivery.
This fictional case continues the logistics capacity assessment. The target is 180 complete kits at two reception points by the end of day 3. Sixty complete kits are available initially. Material for 180 more arrives at the end of day 1. Packing is possible only on days 2 and 3, at 40 complete kits per day. Transport is booked on those two days, at 80 kits per day. For this simplified calculation, each day's packing finishes before loading and each loaded kit is accepted at the reception point that day. No damage, rejection, travel delay or other allocation is assumed.
Reconcile Daily Stock
| Day | Opening Complete Stock | Newly Packed | Available Before Dispatch | Dispatched and Accepted in This Exercise | Closing Complete Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 60 | 40 | 100 | 80 | 20 |
| 3 | 20 | 40 | 60 | 60 | 0 |
| Total Movement | 80 new kits | 140 kits |
The check is 60 initial + 80 packed - 140 dispatched = 0 complete kits remaining. Of the incoming 180 kits' material, only 80 have been packed; material for 100 remains unconverted. It must not be counted as complete available kits or delivered assistance. The target gap is 180 - 140 = 40 kits under the stated assumptions.
The vehicle capacity is 160 across the two days, but there are only 140 complete kits available for it. Buying more material alone does not solve this gap. The first binding constraint in this simplified plan is completion/packing, with transport becoming relevant as that improves.
Test an Improvement and Find the Next Constraint
Suppose a checked, approved packing option can produce 80 kits each day. Day 2 has 60 + 80 = 140 ready, dispatches 80 and closes with 60. Day 3 adds another 80, making 140 ready, but the booked vehicle again takes only 80. Total delivery becomes 160 and closing complete stock is 60. The target is still short by 20. Faster packing changed the bottleneck to booked transport.
Suppose a further approved option adds space for 20 kits on day 3, with all permissions, receiving and safety checks confirmed in the exercise. Delivery could then reach 180: 80 on day 2 and 100 on day 3, leaving 40 complete kits in origin stock. These are conditional scenario calculations, not authorization or a guarantee that a real extra vehicle, staff team or route is available.
Compare More Than One Fix
Compare additional packing capacity, additional transport, a revised delivery sequence, another origin or a changed deadline with the responsible program and logistics owners. Record actual costs, dependencies and consequences where known. A faster process is not acceptable if it omits inspection or overloads staff or equipment. Do not convert a throughput exercise into lifting, stacking, vehicle-loading or route-safety instructions.
If one reception point cannot accept goods on day 3, the aggregate total is no longer enough. Rework destinations, capacity and timing. A single daily maximum can conceal an incompatible schedule, unavailable personnel or a last-mile queue.
State the Provisional Decision
An adequate exercise note says: "The current plan supports at most 140 accepted deliveries by day 3 under its explicit no-delay assumptions. Packing improvement alone raises that to 160; reaching 180 also needs an additional confirmed 20-kit transport/reception capacity on day 3. Resource, safety, cost and authorization checks remain with their actual owners."
Use source and time stamps for every real capacity and stock figure, reconcile actual receipts and losses, and update the flow after changes. Kits are not a people-reached count. A dispatch record is not final acceptance unless the exercise or actual evidence establishes that link.
Sources and Limits
The LOG assessment tools index and assessment overview locate separate capacity questions rather than a universal bottleneck formula. This stock-flow model and all numerical assumptions are original OpenAid teaching material. Qualified logisticians must check the actual sequence and constraints; no current route or supplier capacity is verified here.