The Dice Games are a set of free educational resources to help understand how systems of dependent events with statistical fluctuations behave, and how they can be managed to improve performance. There are six stages to the Dice Game, as summarised below.
This game introduces the Dice Game as a simulation of throughput and work in progress for a system of dependent stages where each stage has a performance that changes randomly in time.
Play the game »You might be able to improve the performance of Game 1 by managing resources and putting effort where it is required. This game lets you move the dice to different stations between rolls.
Play the game »What if the random variation in performance is the problem? How does reducing the variability affect the outcome?
The different stages of a system usually have different performance averages and ranges of variation. A critical step in improving such a system is to identify the slowest stage.
Play the game »Once the slowest step has been identified it is used as the "drum beat" to set the speed of entry into the system. A buffer is maintained to ensure the slowest step always has something to process.
Play the game »In some systems the input to the system is not continuous but rather arrives in batches. How does this behaviour affect the Drum-Buffer-Rope approach to control?