Drum-Buffer-Rope / DBR
Updated 2026-08-05
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The core scheduling method of the Theory of Constraints, developed by Eliyahu Goldratt. The drum is the bottleneck, whose pace sets the output rate for the whole system. The buffer is a protective cushion of time or material placed before the bottleneck so that it never starves. The rope is the information link that releases material upstream only at the rate the drum can consume it. Together the three elements synchronise the operation to the constraint instead of to local capacity, which keeps lead times short and work in process low.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Bottleneck baton: Let the slowest step set the tempo for everything upstream and downstream. - Starvation shield: Protect the constraint with a buffer instead of letting it wait. - Release control: Pace upstream work to the constraint so nothing piles up between stations.
Anchor fast decisions
System output cannot exceed the constraint, so any work released faster than the constraint consumes it becomes queue and inventory without adding sales. The buffer decouples the constraint from upstream variability, so random stoppages do not idle the one resource that matters. The rope transmits the constraint's pace backwards through the process, which prevents over-release and keeps lead times predictable.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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