Cycle Time Scatter Plots

 explain how a cycle time scatter plot is used to measure cycle time observations.

A Cycle Time Scatter Plot is a visual tool used in agile project management and Lean practices to represent the amount of time it takes to complete a work item, from start to finish. Here's how it is typically used to measure and analyze cycle time observations: ### Understanding Cycle Time First, it’s important to understand that cycle time is the duration a task or work item spends in the production process. It is a direct measure of process efficiency. ### Components of a Cycle Time Scatter Plot A Cycle Time Scatter Plot will usually have: - **X-axis (horizontal):** This represents the timeline over which the observations were made, often broken down by days. - **Y-axis (vertical):** This represents the cycle time for the work items, often measured in days or hours. Each dot or point on the scatter plot represents a single work item or task. ### How to Use the Scatter Plot 1. **Plotting Data Points:** - Each completed work item is plotted as a single point on the graph. - The x-coordinate of the point corresponds to the completion date of the work item. - The y-coordinate corresponds to the cycle time of that work item. 2. **Observing the Distribution:** - By looking at the distribution of points, you can observe variations in cycle time. - Clustering of points at lower cycle times indicates more efficient processing. - Points scattered widely on the y-axis may suggest inconsistency in the process. 3. **Identifying Patterns and Trends:** - Any discernible pattern, such as an upward trend, can indicate a slowing process, perhaps due to increasing complexity or bottlenecks. - A downward trend may suggest process improvements are having a positive impact on cycle times. 4. **Analyzing Outliers:** - Outliers are points that fall far from the general cluster and can indicate exceptional cases, such as a task that took an unusually long or short amount of time to complete. - Investigating outliers can uncover unique factors affecting process performance. 5. **Comparing to Benchmarks:** - If there are predetermined benchmarks or goals for cycle times, these can be added to the scatter plot as horizontal lines. - Observing how many points fall above or below this line can give an immediate visual cue on performance relative to goals. ### Example Imagine a software development team tracks the cycle time for issues resolved in their sprint. Each issue completed is plotted on the scatter plot. Over time, they notice that while the majority of issues take between 3 to 5 days (indicating a tight cluster between these values), there are several that take 10 days or more (the outliers). Investigating these outliers might reveal that issues requiring input from an external team tend to delay the process, suggesting an area for improvement. By using a Cycle Time Scatter Plot, teams can make informed decisions about process improvements, resource allocation, and predict future performance. It provides a clear, visual means to analyze the flow and identify issues in the process. For executives, it's a powerful tool to gauge productivity and efficiency at a glance, helping to drive data-driven decision-making.