Why i don't use cycle time in Kanban

•

6 likes•2,045 views

Cycle Time is an overloaded term that is used by different experts to mean different things. I've found avoiding the term and using alternatives the best way to avoid confusing myself and my clients.

Technology Business

Why I don't use
Cycle Time in
Kanban
Andy Carmichael
@andycarmich

Some people* say Cycle Time (CT1)
is...
the time between delivery of items...

0.5 days in this case

* Ohno, Womack & Jones (1996),
Chew (2000), Liker (2004), Lean
Lexicon (2008) and others

Some people* say Cycle Time (CT2)
is...
the time an item stays in the
process...

* Hopp and Spearman (2000),
Reinertsen (2009) and others

5 days in this case

I call this Lead Time* (or TIP)

* George (2002), Anderson
(2010) and others

Others use: Time in process (TIP), Flow Time, Wait Time

I call this the reciprocal of
Delivery Rate* (or Throughput)

i.e. 2 items per day in this case
* George (2002), Anderson
(2010), Little (2011) and others

Others use: Throughput, Arrival Rate, Rate of Completion

Little's Law

Lead Time =

WIP
Delivery Rate
or

TIP =

WIP
Throughput
Note: The bar denotes "average"

A nasty special case: when WIP = 1
Little’s Law expressed using the 2 definitions of
Cycle Time is:
CT2 = WIP * CT1
So when WIP=1…
CT2 = CT1

!!!

This special case compounds the confusion
since so often the concepts are explained with
a simple example where WIP = 1

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Why i don't use cycle time in Kanban

1. Why I don't use Cycle Time in Kanban Andy Carmichael @andycarmich

2. Some people* say Cycle Time (CT1) is... the time between delivery of items... 0.5 days in this case * Ohno, Womack & Jones (1996), Chew (2000), Liker (2004), Lean Lexicon (2008) and others

3. Some people* say Cycle Time (CT2) is... the time an item stays in the process... * Hopp and Spearman (2000), Reinertsen (2009) and others 5 days in this case

4. I call this Lead Time* (or TIP) * George (2002), Anderson (2010) and others Others use: Time in process (TIP), Flow Time, Wait Time

5. I call this the reciprocal of Delivery Rate* (or Throughput) i.e. 2 items per day in this case * George (2002), Anderson (2010), Little (2011) and others Others use: Throughput, Arrival Rate, Rate of Completion

6. Little's Law Lead Time = WIP Delivery Rate or TIP = WIP Throughput Note: The bar denotes "average"

7. A nasty special case: when WIP = 1 Little’s Law expressed using the 2 definitions of Cycle Time is: CT2 = WIP * CT1 So when WIP=1… CT2 = CT1 !!! This special case compounds the confusion since so often the concepts are explained with a simple example where WIP = 1

8. Stop starting... Start finishing

Why i don't use cycle time in Kanban

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