Lead Time vs Cycle Time

In software development, lead time and cycle time are important metrics used to measure how efficiently work moves through the delivery process, but they focus on different parts of that journey. Lead time is the total time from when a customer or stakeholder requests a new feature or change to when it is delivered and available for use. It includes all the stages: waiting in the backlog, planning, development, testing, and deployment. Lead time reflects the customer's total wait time and is often used to measure how responsive the organization is to external requests.

Cycle time, on the other hand, starts when the team begins actively working on the task and ends when the work is completed and ready for delivery. It focuses only on the time the team spends actually building, testing, and finalizing the feature. While lead time gives a big-picture view of overall responsiveness, cycle time offers a more focused look at team efficiency and internal workflow performance. Both metrics are essential: lead time helps improve planning and prioritization, while cycle time helps optimize development processes. Tracking and improving both can lead to faster delivery, happier customers, and more productive teams.

Видео Lead Time vs Cycle Time канала AgileLUX