Richard Rumelt has a nice article about this:

> The strength of a chain depends on the strength of its weakest link. When activities have chain-link logic, the strength of the weakest, or least efficient, part limits the performance of the whole. Thus, a solid rubber O-ring was the weakest link for the Space Shuttle Challenger. Falling out of the winter sky in 1986, it shattered onto the ocean below, killing the crew President Reagan called “pride of our nation.” For the Challenger, making the booster engines stronger or improving its communications systems would be foolish investments if the O-ring remained weak.

https://strategeion.substack.com/p/the-logic-of-the-chain