Themes
Fiction Lab / Theme
Operations under constraint
Sequential operational decisions when the system bottleneck moves after every improvement.
Why it matters
Improving a scarce but non-limiting resource consumes effort without changing the whole-system outcome.
Recurring mechanisms
1
The bottleneck migrates after improvement
2
Emergency buffers are consumed by routine demand
3
The most visible problem distracts from the constraint
Five system dimensions
authority
Local authority follows situational knowledge
information
Logs distinguish constraint from urgency
resources
Stocks, flows and buffers remain distinct
incentives
Visible emergencies do not capture all attention
adaptation
Constraint maps update after each intervention
Discussion prompt
How should operations adapt when different constraints become critical at different times?