How to use it
- 1. Set demandThe demand and shift sliders fix the takt time = available time / demand.
- 2. Assign tasksClick a task chip, then click a station. Click an assigned chip to send it back to the pool.
- 3. Respect precedenceA task can only sit in the same station as its predecessors or later - violations flash red with the reason.
- 4. Beat the heuristicOne click runs RPW; the side-by-side efficiency shows who balanced better.
Precedence diagram & takt
Demand & shift
Takt = shift ÷ demand. No station may exceed the takt or the line cannot keep up with demand.
Task times (min)
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Takt time (min)
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Your line efficiency
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Idle time / cycle
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Smoothness index
Arrows point from a task to the tasks that must wait for it. Times update in the nodes as you edit them. On a phone, swipe the diagram sideways.
Build your line
Task pool - click a chip to pick it up, then click a station
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Your efficiency
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RPW heuristic efficiency
Try these experiments
- Hit ≥90% efficiency with 4 stations at demand 40 - you need every station loaded close to 11 minutes.
- Raise demand slowly and find the exact takt where a 5th station becomes unavoidable (hint: watch the longest task).
- Find the task whose 1-minute reduction saves a whole station - cut each task time by 1 and re-balance to see which one unlocks it.
About this tool
The concept
Line balancing spreads tasks across stations so each cycle finishes within the takt - the drumbeat demand sets.
How it works
Efficiency = Σtask times / (stations × cycle time). The smoothness index penalises uneven loads even at equal efficiency.
Winning strategy
RPW ranks tasks by their own time plus all followers' time - do the "heavy gateway" tasks early and fill stations to just under takt.