Room 4 of 10
A pattern starts a question
Our question
Which parts of a familiar pattern fit this shop?
Back at Harbor Coffee
Person–Order–Product is a useful starting pattern. It organizes the purchase, but it does not yet explain waiting. Patterns help us notice possibilities; their familiarity is not evidence that they fit every situation.
Scripted AI illustration: “Drink preparation may be the bottleneck. Adding another barista might reduce the wait.” A bottleneck is a part of a process whose limited capacity constrains the flow of work. A queue is a clue, not proof of which constraint controls the flow.
Try a modeling decision
How should we record the AI suggestion?
Choose a view to see what it makes visible.
On the whiteboard
- Purpose → Which parts of a familiar pattern fit this shop?
Read the worked explanation
Record its source as a scripted AI suggestion and its validation as unchecked. Sam’s similar explanation is also unchecked. Either could gain support from investigation; neither becomes a fact because it sounds plausible.
Room not yet explored. Capstone progress is separate.
Inspect the source
A plausible AI suggestion
Scripted AI illustrationuncheckedDrink preparation may be the bottleneck. Adding another barista might reduce the wait.
Scripted illustration of an inference. It is not an observation of this shop.
Sam’s explanation
Participant accountuncheckedI think making coffee is what slows us down. We have not measured each part yet.
An explanation to test, even though it comes from the owner.
Name the concept
Bottleneck: A part of a process whose limited capacity constrains the flow of work. A delay or queue is a clue, not proof of which capacity constraint governs the process.