Cycle Time is a measure of how lengthy it takes to get a brand new characteristic in a
software program system from thought to operating in manufacturing. In Agile circles, we strive
to attenuate cycle time. We do that by defining and implementing very small
options and minimizing delays within the improvement course of. Though the tough
notion of cycle time, and the significance of decreasing it, is frequent, there’s a
lot of variations on how cycle time is measured.
A key attribute of agile software program improvement is a shift from a
Waterfall Course of, the place work is decomposed primarily based on
exercise (evaluation, coding, testing) to an Iterative Course of the place work is
primarily based on a subset of performance (easy pricing, bulk low cost,
valued-customer low cost). Doing this generates a suggestions loop the place we are able to be taught
from placing small options in entrance of customers. This studying permits us to
enhance our improvement course of and permits us to higher perceive the place the
software program product can present worth for our clients.
This suggestions is a core advantage of an iterative method, and like most
such suggestions loops, the faster I get the suggestions, the happier I’m. Thus
agile people put a variety of emphasis on how briskly we are able to get a characteristic by way of the
total workflow and into manufacturing. The phrase cycle time is a measure of that.
However right here we run into difficulties. When can we begin and cease the clock on
cycle time?
The stopping time is the best, most glibly it is when the characteristic is put
into manufacturing and serving to its customers. However there are circumstances the place this
can get muddy. If a crew is utilizing a Canary Launch, ought to it
be when utilized by the primary cohort, or solely when launched to the complete
inhabitants? Will we rely solely when the app retailer has authorised its launch, thus
including an unpredictable delay that is largely outdoors the management of the
improvement crew?.
The beginning time has much more variations. A standard marker is when a
developer makes a primary decide to that characteristic, however that ignores any time
spent in preparatory evaluation. Many individuals would go additional again and say:
“when the shopper first has the thought for a characteristic”. That is all very nicely
for a excessive precedence characteristic, however how about one thing that is not that pressing,
and thus sits in a triage space for just a few weeks earlier than being able to enter
improvement. Will we begin the clock when the crew first locations the characteristic on
the cardboard wall
and we begin to significantly work on it?
I additionally run into the part lead time, generally as an alternative of
“cycle time”, however typically collectively – the place individuals make a distinction between the
two, typically primarily based on a special begin time. Nonetheless there’s no
consistency between how individuals distinguish between them. So on the whole, I
deal with “lead time” as a synonym to “cycle time”, and if somebody is utilizing each,
I make sure that I perceive how that particular person is making the excellence.
The completely different bands of cycle time all have their benefits, and it is typically
useful to make use of completely different bands in the identical scenario, to focus on variations.
In that scenario, I might use a distinguishing adjective (e.g. “first-commit cycle
time” vs “thought cycle time”) to inform them aside. There isn’t any usually accepted
phrases for such adjectives, however I believe they’re higher than making an attempt to
create a distinction between “cycle time” and “lead time”.
What these questions inform us is that cycle time, whereas a helpful idea, is
inherently slippery. We needs to be cautious of evaluating cycle instances between groups,
until we may be assured we’ve constant notions of their cease and begin instances.
However regardless of this, considering by way of cycle time, and making an attempt to attenuate
it, is a helpful exercise. It is normally worthwhile to construct a price stream map
that exhibits each step from thought to manufacturing, figuring out the steps within the
work circulation, how a lot time is spent on them, and the way a lot ready between them.
Understanding this circulation of labor permits us to seek out methods to scale back the cycle
time. Two generally efficient interventions are to scale back the dimensions of options
and (counter-intuitively) enhance Slack. Doing the work to
perceive circulation to enhance it’s worthwhile as a result of
the quicker we get concepts into manufacturing, the extra
quickly we acquire the advantages of the brand new options, and get the suggestions to
be taught and enhance our methods of working.
Acknowledgements
Andrew Harmel-Regulation, Chris Ford, James Lewis, José Pinar, Kief Morris, Manoj Kumar M, Matteo
Vaccari, and Rafael Ferreira mentioned this put up
on our inner mailing record