bottleneck-gating

Bottleneck Gating

The right sequence is: measure → fix the bottleneck → gate → fix the next bottleneck.

When to Use

Activates on any planning, roadmap, or execution task.

• Creating any multi-phase plan
• Asked to redesign before the core loop works
• Asked to bill before users get value
• Prioritizing a backlog
• Deciding what to build next

Procedure

1 — Find the bottleneck

Ask: what is the single number that caps everything else?

• 86% of cases die at step 1 → funnel is the bottleneck
• 3 users ever saw the core value → don't optimize that page yet
• 0 customers → don't build billing features

2 — Phase by what unlocks the next thing

Structure phases as:

Phase 0: Stop the bleeding (trust leaks, data, safety)
Phase 1: Fix the bottleneck (activate, convert, retain)
Phase 2: Monetize the working loop (only if Phase 1 succeeds)
Phase 3: Polish the experience (only if Phase 2 works)
Phase 4: Consolidate (only if later phases ship)

3 — Define gates between phases

Every phase transition has a measurable condition:

Gate to Phase 2: case_created → reflection_submitted ≥ 50% for 2 consecutive weeks
If gate fails: investigate why, fix the cause, re-measure. Do not proceed.

Gates protect against building on a broken foundation. If the gate isn't met, the next phase won't help.

4 — State the gate in the plan

Every multi-phase plan must explicitly state:

• The bottleneck being fixed in each phase
• The metric that proves the gate is met
• The trigger for moving to the next phase

Anti-patterns

Building billing features when no users complete the core flow. Building redesign when retention is the actual problem. Optimizing for power users when activation is the bottleneck.

• Ordering phases by stakeholder preference.
• Setting a gate with no metric or time window.
• Starting the next phase while a gate is failing.

Composes With

• measure-first — provides the bottleneck measurement
• verify-first — confirms the gate metric actually moved

Verification Checklist

• [ ] One bottleneck caps the plan.
• [ ] Every phase has a measurable gate.
• [ ] Gate windows and thresholds are stated.
• [ ] A failed gate blocks the next phase.
• [ ] Phase 0 addresses trust, data, or safety first.