Bottleneck

A bottleneck is a point of enterprise where the flow of data is impaired entirely. There is not enough data handling capacity to handle the current volume of traffic. It can occur in the user network or storage within servers where there is excessive information for internal server resources, such as CPU processing power, memory, or Input / Output. The data flow slows down to the speed of the data path. This affects the performance of the application, especially for databases and other huge transactional applications, and even may cause some applications to crash.

A bottleneck arises from poor networks. The mismatched hardware selection is a common cause. For example, if a workgroup server consist of a Gigabit Ethernet port, corresponding switch port which connects to the server only offers a 10/100 Ethernet port, the slow switch port will lay into a bottleneck to the server. Another design flaw which is common to the storage network is fan-in, where multiple storage devices are connected to the same switch port in order to maximize the use of switch port’s bandwidth. They are typically generated by systematically testing the network performance at various devices along a data path and isolating devices performing noticeably slower than other points. Once bottleneck identified, it can be resolved by reconfiguring, upgrading or replacing the offending device.

Bottleneck in Project Management:

A bottleneck in project management is a chain of processes, which limits its capacity and reduces to whole chain.

The concepts in project management are: Critical path method and Theory of Constraints. For example, the lack of refinery and smelter supply due to bottlenecks upstream.

Another example is SMT (Surface Mount Technology) Board Assembly Line with various equipments, usually the common sense is driven into the set up and shifts the bottleneck element towards the end of the process which induces the better and efficient machines to keep the PCB supply flowing up, never allows the slow ones to stop. This is the significant overall drawback in the process.

Traffic Bottleneck:

A bottleneck is a route carrying substantial capacity below which characterizes the other sections of the same route. This involved in a narrow part of a road, perhaps with a smaller number of lanes, or reduction of the number of tracks of a railway line.

Capacity bottleneck is the most dangerous ones in a network and very often offensive the subject or military actions. The main strategic importance is the Panama Canal where limited traffic by the infrastructure – are referred as chokepoints. Moreover, it has tactical value meant as mobility corridors.

Questions:

• What is bottleneck?
• What are the concepts involved in bottleneck during project management?