The concept of an obligatory passage point (OPP) was developed by sociologist Michel Callon in a seminal contribution to actor–network theory: Callon, Michel (1986), "Elements of a sociology of translation: Domestication of the Scallops and the Fishermen of St Brieuc Bay".
Obligatory passage points are a feature of actor-networks, usually associated with the initial (problematization) phase of a translation process.
An OPP can be thought of as the narrow end of a funnel, that forces the actors to converge on a certain topic, purpose or question.
The OPP thereby mediates all interactions between actors in a network and defines the action program.
Backhouse et al. (2006)[3] illustrated how practices and policies are standardized and institutionalized through OPP.