Suggest an editImprove this articleRefine the answer for “What does "cycle time" mean?”. Your changes go to moderation before they’re published.Approval requiredContentWhat you’re changing🇺🇸EN🇺🇦UAPreviewTitle (EN)Short answer (EN)**Cycle time** is the time that passes from the start of active work on a task until it is finished, not counting the waiting time before it started. **Key point:** the shorter and more stable it is, the smoother and more predictably the team works.Shown above the full answer for quick recall.Answer (EN)Image**Cycle time** is the time that passes **from the start of active work on a task until it is finished**. In other words, it shows **how long the task actually took to complete**, not counting the waiting time before it started. --- ### Example If a task was picked up on March 3 and finished on March 8, then **cycle time = 5 days** - that's how much time it took the team to complete the task. --- ### Why measure cycle time 1. **Assessing process efficiency** - helps understand how quickly the team completes tasks. 2. **Predictable deadlines** - if cycle time is stable, future results can be forecast accurately. 3. **Identifying bottlenecks** - a rise in cycle time at a specific stage points to overload or blockers. 4. **Resource planning** - shows how many tasks can realistically be finished in a period. --- ### Cycle time vs Lead time | Metric | What it measures | From what to what | | --- | --- | --- | | **Cycle time** | Time of active work | From the start of execution to "Done" | | **Lead time** | Time waiting for the result | From the task's arrival to "Done" | --- ### Conclusion **Cycle time** is the actual execution time of a task. The shorter and more stable it is, the **smoother and more predictably the team works**.For the reviewerNote to the moderator (optional)Visible only to the moderator. Helps review go faster.