Bottleneck Analysis

Bottleneck Analysis maps every task across your pipeline, detects where work is stalling, classifies the cause, and prescribes a specific action to clear it.

How it works

TARO builds a live map of your workflow, counting how many tasks sit at each stage, how long each has been there, and how the current distribution compares to a baseline derived from sprint history. The map updates continuously as tasks move. Each detected bottleneck is classified into one of three types, and a specific prescription is generated for it. After a prescription is applied, TARO keeps monitoring the stage and marks the bottleneck resolved only when the flow data confirms recovery.

Key capabilities

• Live workflow map showing task count, dwell time, and WIP limit per stage.
• WIP limits derived from historical throughput and configurable team-defined limits, with a stage overload flagged when the count exceeds either threshold by more than 20%.
• Three bottleneck types: stage overload (capacity), single point of failure (people), and broken handoff (process).
• Single point of failure detection, flagged by default when one person owns 60% or more of a stage's tasks, weighted by their capacity, upcoming leave, and critical-path involvement.
• Broken handoff detection that compares transition time between stages against the team baseline.
• Specific prescriptions that name the stage, person, or transition and the action to take, with the estimated flow impact.
• Resolution confirmed by flow data, with re-flagging if the signal does not improve within a configurable window (default 48 hours).
• Recurring pattern detection across three or more consecutive sprints, treated as a process issue.

Tips

Related: Risk Prediction, Workload Distribution, Completion Analysis.