Cycle Time

The cycle time is the time it takes to complete a task or an average of the completion times of a repetitive productive process or task. An average is usually used in most manual production processes to derive the average cycle time, due to the difference in skills and experience of different operators. The standard deviation of the average cycle time can be used as an indicator of variability among operators, and if too big it can be difficult to accurately predict total lead times. One way to eliminate the variability of a task or process cycle time is to introduce automation into the process. Automation reduces variability, improves accuracy and quality.


More lean concepts and terms