Game 4
Find the weakest link
Click "start" on the above to begin.
An introduction and review of the game is given below.
An introduction and review of the game is given below.
In this next game, we are going to try and identify the weakest link in this set of dependent activities. You will notice as you play the game that you do not see the throw of a die. All you see is how many people were moved through that particular workstation. As the game progresses you can click on any of the characters between each throw if you believe they are the weakest link. When you get to the end of the game, you can click on the ‘Your Performance’ button and you can see how effective you were at identifying this weakest link.
Game 4 behaviour and analysis
The weakest link in the system can usually be identified by observing queue behaviour over a number of rounds. You would expect to see a build-up of people before the weakest link and, perhaps a dearth of people directly after it, as illustrated in the image below.
When making the observations it is important to remember that different stations have different average capacities. This means that it is not necessarily the absolute number of people before a station that is important as that particular station may have the capacity to service the number waiting. Rather, the observation should note whether there is a tendency for the number to increase, i.e. does it have the capacity to cope with what it is receiving from previous stations?
When making the observations it is important to remember that different stations have different average capacities. This means that it is not necessarily the absolute number of people before a station that is important as that particular station may have the capacity to service the number waiting. Rather, the observation should note whether there is a tendency for the number to increase, i.e. does it have the capacity to cope with what it is receiving from previous stations?