Cycle Times-Lean Kaizen Consultancy & Training for Process Improvement and Quality Improvement

Measuring Cycle Time

Article about measuring cycle times by Graham Ross of Lean Kaizen

In article I'd like to explain the idea of measuring cycle times
and how this can help you to improve your operation.

Cycle Time - Introduction

Just about all of the concepts associated with "Lean" have one common thread.

They all can be expressed in terms of time, or wasted time.

Time is the currency of Lean thinking.

Measuring cycle times is a key component in understanding the current condition of your enterprise.

The Cycle Time is the time taken to complete a particular task.

It is the lowest repeatable time.

Cycle Time - Why should we measure it ?

There are several reasons why we need to measure cycle times.

One primary reason is to create what we call standard work or "the best known way of doing something"

The very act of measuring cycle times forces us to think about the job that is being reviewed.

Another reason for measuring cycle times is to understand how one job relates to another, so that the
overall workload in a process is balanced.

My favourite reason for measuring cycle times is to identify wasted time.

You would be amazed at the amount of time that is wasted walking to printers that are in the wrong location !

Measuring cycle times helps you identify these types of issues.

Cycle Time - How do you measure it ?

The simplest way to measure cycle time is by completing a cycle time form.

I've included links to a couple of pro forma that you can use at the end of this article.

Example of a Cycle Time form from Graham Ross

It is usually best to work in a small team to
measure cycle times.

I find a group of three works best.

The first person actually does the job that
you are reviewing The second person times the job
The third person completes the cycle time form from
the times being shouted out by the second person.

The most important point to get across is that we are timing the process and not the person!

People are timing themselves as part of a team.

The spirit of the activity is to make peoples jobs easier.

It is not about hiding behind potted plants trying to spy on people.

Cycle Time - Getting started

The first thing we need to do is to observe the overall job from beginning to end.

Once we have a feel for the overall job we are in a position to break it down into bite size chunks.

It is the description of these bite sized chunks that we record on the cycle time form.

We then time the overall job and shout out as each task element is completed.

The times are then recorded on the form.

The number of times you measure the job will depend on the time it takes.

If the job is very repetitive then it can be measured several times.

You need to use common sense in terms of your study.

Cycle Time - What should you do with the results?

Once we have completed the timing we need to add up the different task elements to get the
overall cycle time.

We are looking for the lowest repeatable cycle time.

Once the form is completed we should question each job element and think about the following.

Is there wasted time taking place?

Is the task necessary?

Could the task be done a better way?

Could the task be combined with another task?

Are the tasks being done in the best sequence?

Are the tasks being done consistently?

7s there time being wasted looking for items?