Cycle time in Kanban and Scrum: calculating Agile cycle time
Cycle time is the amount of time it takes for a task to move from the start to the finish line. In Agile, cycle time helps teams see how quickly they can deliver value to their customers while finding ways to do things faster without sacrificing quality.
Cycle time usually complements two metrics: lead time and throughput. While lead time measures the total time from when a request is made until it's delivered, cycle time focuses only on the active work phase. Throughput, on the other hand, looks at how much work is completed over a certain period.
By understanding cycle time, teams can spot bottlenecks, improve their processes, and ultimately deliver better results. It's a simple yet powerful way to keep your projects on track and your customers happy.
Cycle time in Agile vs. Ancient times (aka the 80s)
Let's take a trip back to the days of Waterfall, a traditional project management approach that was all about moving through phases like requirements, design, implementation, and testing in a strict sequence. In Waterfall, you had to finish one phase before starting the next, which often led to long cycle times because everything had to be completed before seeing any results.
Agile came along to shake things up by breaking work into smaller, iterative cycles. Instead of waiting for months to see a finished product, Agile teams deliver small chunks of work quickly and continuously - meaning much shorter cycle times compared to Waterfall.
Measuring cycle time in Kanban and Scrum
Scrum and Kanban are two popular frameworks within Agile that further refine this approach.
They both slay aim to improve efficiency but do so in slightly different ways.
Cycle Time in Kanban
Kanban is focused on keeping things moving smoothly with a continuous flow. You measure cycle time from the moment a task starts until it's completed. This approach is perfect for ongoing processes where tasks come in at varying priorities and sizes. Kanban’s visual tools, like cumulative flow diagrams and scatterplots, help you see where tasks might be getting stuck. These tools are great for identifying bottlenecks and making adjustments to improve your workflow.
Kanban can be particularly useful during the execution phase of a project when the focus is on maintaining a steady flow of work. It allows teams to adapt quickly to changes without disrupting the overall process.
Cycle Time in Scrum
Scrum, on the other hand, works in sprints. Here, cycle time is tracked from when a task is picked up during a sprint to when it's done. This method is ideal for projects that require structured planning and delivery in increments. Scrum's iterative nature helps teams focus on completing specific goals within each sprint, making it easier to plan and assess progress.
Scrum is especially beneficial during the planning and review stages of a project. It provides a framework for setting clear objectives and evaluating outcomes at regular intervals.
Tips and tricks for a wholesome cycle time view in Jira
Jira offers plenty of tools to analyze cycle time in Scrum + Kanban. Let’s explore them!
1. Combine Kanban and Scrum
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Use Kanban for continuous improvement: Even within Scrum, apply Kanban principles to visualize work in progress. This helps identify bottlenecks not just within sprints but across the entire workflow.
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Incorporate WIP limits: Setting Work In Progress (WIP) limits in your Scrum board can help manage flow and reduce cycle time by preventing overload.
2. Visualize
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Cumulative flow diagrams: Use these diagrams to visualize the flow of tasks through different stages. This helps in identifying stages where tasks pile up, indicating potential bottlenecks.
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Scatterplots for predictability: Scatterplots provide insights into how consistent your cycle times are, helping you understand the predictability of your delivery process.
3. Optimize sprint planning with cycle time data
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Use historical data: Analyze past cycle times to set realistic goals for upcoming sprints. This ensures that sprint commitments are based on actual team capacity rather than estimates.
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Adjust sprint lengths: If certain types of work consistently take longer than a sprint, consider adjusting sprint lengths or breaking down tasks further to fit within the cycle time.
4. Review and adapt
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Retrospectives focused on cycle time: During sprint retrospectives, specifically address cycle time data to discuss what went well and what could be improved in terms of task flow.
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Continuous feedback loops: Encourage continuous feedback from team members about process inefficiencies that might be affecting cycle time.
5. Use the Cycle Time Chart Gadget for in-depth insights
While Jira’s native tools are helpful, they clearly fall short in providing a comprehensive view of cycle time. That’s why Broken Build team decided to introduce the Cycle Time Chart Gadget.
It’s an all-in-one solution that fills in the gaps left by native Jira features. Connect various boards or SAFe entities as a data source and toggle between 3 main cycle time charts to switch the angle you’re looking at your data:
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Cycle Time Histogram: This chart lets you visualize the distribution of task durations, making it easy to see if some tasks are taking longer than others.
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Cycle Time Trend: Track how cycle times change over time to identify improvements or new bottlenecks early on.
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Time in Status Report: Get detailed insights into how long tasks spend in each status, helping you pinpoint exactly where delays might be occurring.
Identify bottlenecks
To optimize cycle time, start by identifying where work gets delayed. The Time in Status Report from the Agile Cycle Time Chart Gadget offers detailed insights into how long tasks spend in each status. This makes it straightforward to spot bottlenecks, whether tasks are stalling in "Code Review" or "Testing." By pinpointing these delays, you can streamline those stages to enhance overall efficiency.
Monitor trends
Tracking cycle time trends helps you understand your team's performance over weeks or months. The Cycle Time Trend Chart provides a clear view of how cycle times change, helping you identify patterns or anomalies. This is particularly useful for evaluating the impact of process changes or identifying recurring issues.
Data-driven forecasting
Forecasting future work is crucial for planning. The Cycle Time Histogram chart allows you to visualize the distribution of task durations, providing insights that help predict how long similar tasks might take.
Advanced filters
Add the Granular Work Schedule to ensure that your cycle time calculations reflect actual working hours, not just calendar days. Filter by issue type or custom status, tailoring insights to specific areas of interest. Compare estimation units with cycle time to refine planning accuracy. Whether you're focusing on bugs, stories, or epics, this flexibility ensures you're getting the most relevant data.
Cycle time breakdown
Cycle Time Breakdown allows you to analyze data deeper, deconstructing it in 3 levels by the parameters you choose and layering it the way you need. You can add an extra level by drilling down to the issue list. This helps you understand how different factors impact cycle time and where improvements can be made.
Set targets and use cues to interpret charts
Finally, use highlights, thresholds, and targets to track performance at a glance. The gadget provides visual cues that make it easy to see when cycle times exceed thresholds or meet targets. Also, to better understand what your charts mean, there’s a Distribution type cues and recommendations on top of every chart.
TL;DR
Cycle time is key in Agile for delivering value quickly. Unlike the old Waterfall days with long phases, Agile uses shorter cycles for faster feedback. Kanban and Scrum offer unique ways to track cycle time—Kanban with continuous flow and Scrum with sprints. Use Jira's Control Chart for a basic view, but for deeper insights, the Cycle Time Chart Gadget is a game-changer. It helps identify bottlenecks, monitor trends, and forecast work accurately.
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Vasyl Krokha _Broken Build_
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