Kanban Lead Time vs Cycle Time Calculator

Measure your Kanban process performance with lead time, cycle time, flow efficiency, and throughput metrics. Identify bottlenecks and optimize flow.

Avg Lead Time = Total Lead Time / Items | Avg Cycle Time = Total Cycle Time / Items | Avg Wait = Lead - Cycle | Flow Efficiency = (Cycle / Lead) × 100 | Throughput = WIP / Lead Time
Example: 50 items, 150 total lead days, 60 total cycle days. Avg Lead: 3.0 days. Avg Cycle: 1.2 days. Wait Time: 1.8 days. Ratio: 2.5x. Flow Efficiency: 40%. This shows significant waiting - focus on reducing queue times.

What is Lead Time vs Cycle Time?

Lead Time = time from when a request is created until it's completed (includes waiting time). Cycle Time = time from when work actually starts until completion (excludes waiting). Lead Time shows overall customer experience, Cycle Time shows internal process efficiency.

What is a good lead time benchmark?

Varies by industry and work type: IT support: 1-4 hours, Software features: 1-4 weeks, Marketing campaigns: 1-2 weeks, Hardware development: 4-12 weeks. Use historical data to establish your baseline, then aim for 10-20% improvement per quarter.

How do I improve cycle time?

Key strategies: reduce batch sizes, eliminate bottlenecks, improve WIP limits, remove wait states between stages, automation, cross-train team members, identify and remove blockers, and focus on flow efficiency. Visualize your process with a cumulative flow diagram to identify issues.

Why does Lead Time often exceed Cycle Time significantly?

Because work often waits in queues before being worked on. This "wait time" between stages is the biggest opportunity for improvement. Use the ratio: Lead Time / Cycle Time > 2 indicates excessive wait time. Reducing queue time is often more impactful than speeding up work itself.

What WIP limits should I use?

A common starting point: 1.5x the number of team members per column. For a 5-person team, WIP limit of 7-8 per column. Adjust based on flow - if items pile up, lower the limit. If the team is idle waiting for work, raise it. Monitor and tune regularly.