The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

by

Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox

Statistical Fluctuations Term Analysis

Statistical fluctuations are variations in speed or quality as a result of human behavior. Any process that involves human operation will naturally and unavoidably have statistical fluctuations.

Statistical Fluctuations Quotes in The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

The The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement quotes below are all either spoken by Statistical Fluctuations or refer to Statistical Fluctuations. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Importance of Goal-Setting Theme Icon
).
Chapter 13 Quotes

Our hike is a set of dependent events…in combination with statistical fluctuations. Each of us is fluctuating in speed, faster and slower. But the ability to go faster than average is restricted. It depends upon all the others ahead of me in line. So even if I could walk five miles per hour, I couldn’t do it if the boy in front of me could only walk two miles per hour. And even if the kid directly in front of me could walk that fast, neither of us could do it unless all the boys in the line were moving at five miles per hour at the same time.

Related Characters: Alex Rogo (speaker), Jonah, Dave Rogo
Related Symbols: The Hikers
Page Number: 100
Explanation and Analysis:
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Statistical Fluctuations Term Timeline in The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

The timeline below shows where the term Statistical Fluctuations appears in The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 11
The Importance of Goal-Setting Theme Icon
Working with Constraints Theme Icon
Efficiency vs. Optimization Theme Icon
...(stages of a process that can’t begin before the stage before it completes) and “statistical fluctuations” (unexpected variations in how long a task takes to complete) mean that any system needs... (full context)
Chapter 13
Working with Constraints Theme Icon
As they walk, Alex thinks about Julie and his conversation with Jonah about statistical fluctuations and dependent events. In Alex’s mind, such fluctuations should average themselves out. For instance, while... (full context)
Working with Constraints Theme Icon
...behind him must slow down as well, and they cannot simply run to fix the fluctuation because they are constrained by the hiker in front of them. (full context)
Working with Constraints Theme Icon
...limits to how slow or how long they can be delayed. So rather than the fluctuations in hiking speed averaging themselves out, the negative fluctuations accumulate, the hikers spread out, and... (full context)
Chapter 14
Working with Constraints Theme Icon
...represent the pieces of product moving through each stage, and the dice represents the statistical fluctuation in each stage. (full context)
Chapter 17
Working with Constraints Theme Icon
...the next. Alex suggests that they should be able to see his point about statistical fluctuations and dependent events in action, so he makes a chart predicting the output and average... (full context)
Chapter 18
The Importance of Goal-Setting Theme Icon
Working with Constraints Theme Icon
Efficiency vs. Optimization Theme Icon
...him. They discuss what happened the day before. Alex points out that they had crippling fluctuations with only a two-stage process. Most of their manufacturing processes require as many as 15... (full context)