What is cycle time analysis?

Cycle time analysis is a method of analyzing the time required to complete a single unit of work in the development or manufacturing process. In the context of Kanban, cycle time is the time from the start of work on a task to its completion.

Cycle time analysis helps identify bottlenecks in the process, improve deadline forecasting, and increase team efficiency. For example, if the average cycle time for a task is 5 days, but one task takes 10 days, it signals that the process needs optimization.

In Kanban, cycle time distribution charts are often used to visualize variability and identify anomalies.