Suggest an editImprove this articleRefine the answer for “What are lead time and cycle time?”. Your changes go to moderation before they’re published.Approval requiredContentWhat you’re changing🇺🇸EN🇺🇦UAPreviewTitle (EN)Short answer (EN)**Lead time** and **Cycle time** are key metrics in Agile and Kanban that help understand how quickly a team turns an idea into a finished result. **Key point:** both measure time, but at different stages of a task's lifecycle.Shown above the full answer for quick recall.Answer (EN)Image**Lead time** and **Cycle time** are key metrics in Agile and Kanban that help understand **how quickly a team turns an idea into a finished result**. Both measure time, but at different stages of a task's lifecycle. --- ### **Lead time** This is the **time from when a request is made to when the result is delivered to the user**. It includes everything: waiting, analysis, development, testing, release. It shows **how long the client actually waits for value**. Example: the order arrived on March 1, it went to production on March 10 → lead time = 9 days. --- ### **Cycle time** This is the **time of active work on a task**, that is, from the start of the work to its completion. It shows **how efficiently the team implements tasks**, without counting the time spent waiting in a queue. Example: the task was picked up on March 3, finished on March 8 → cycle time = 5 days. --- ### Why they are needed - help identify **bottlenecks** in the process; - show where tasks "get stuck"; - help **assess predictability** - the more stable the cycle time, the more reliable the planning. --- ### The difference, briefly | Metric | What it measures | When it starts | Who it matters to | |---|---|---|---| | **Lead time** | Time from request to release | When the client made the request | The client | | **Cycle time** | Time of active work | When the team picked up the task | The team | --- **Summary:** Lead time shows the **speed of delivering value**, while cycle time shows the **speed of doing the work**. Both metrics help make the process predictable and flexible.For the reviewerNote to the moderator (optional)Visible only to the moderator. Helps review go faster.