What are Time Metrics? From Lead Time to Resolution Time

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Time metrics measure time in project management, product development, and customer service. There are many of them. Each metric is essential for improving processes, enhancing customer service, gaining a competitive edge, and effectively managing projects and resources.
Let's explore the world of time metrics more deeply and consider which ones are commonly used in departments such as Software Development, Project Management, Support, and QA.

Time Metrics: Development, Support, PM, QA Departments

Let's analyze the most popular time metrics. Some, such as Cycle, Lead, and Wait Time, are used in almost every department, while others are specific and narrowly focused.

Here's a brief explanation of what each of these metrics means: 

🟢 Lead Time — the total time it takes from the start to the end of a process. 

🟢 Cycle Time — the time it takes to complete a process from start to finish, excluding any waiting or hold time. 

🟢 Wait Time — the time spent waiting in a queue or for a process to start. This could be waiting for resources, approvals, or the next stage in a process.

🟢 Processing Time — the actual time spent on a task or process. This is the active work time, excluding any waiting or hold time.

🟢 Time to Market — the time it takes for a product to be developed and ready for sale. This includes ideation, development, and launch.

🟢 First Response Time — (in customer service) the time it takes for a support team to respond to a customer's query or complaint initially.

🟢 Resolution Time — the time it takes for a support team to resolve a customer's query or complaint fully.

🟢 Time to Fix Bug — (in software development) the time it takes to identify and fix a bug in the code.

🟢 Escalation Time — the time it takes for an issue to be escalated to a higher level of support or management.

🟢 Testing Time — the time it takes to test a product or software for quality assurance.

You may be concerned that the Support department uses Wait Time and Time to First Response metrics. You might say, but they are the same thing! Not really.

In the context of the Support department, Wait Time refers to a customer waiting in a queue before their request or complaint is assigned to a support agent. It starts when the customer contacts the support department (via call, email, chat, etc.), and a support agent can assist them. Long wait times can lead to customer frustration and dissatisfaction. Time to First Response - refers to the time it takes for a support agent to initially respond to a customer's query or complaint after it has been assigned to them. It starts when the request is assigned to the agent and continues until the agent sends their first response. A quick first response time shows the customer that their query is being attended to promptly.

There is a skinny line between them. For example, an inflated Wait Time indicator will show how well your Support department's resources are allocated. Are there sufficient specialists, and do they have time to take on requests promptly? A threatening Time to First Response indicator will signal whether your specialists are sufficiently knowledgeable in the subject area and provide qualified support. You can cheat and save time by sending auto-responses or template messages. But you must admit that if a user comes to you with a problem and you bombard them with answer templates, they are unlikely to like it. A person wants help and answers to questions, not annoying, identical emails.

Also, the Support department may encounter bug issues that need to be redirected to a fix or escalated to a higher level of support, so measuring time metrics such as Time to Fix Bug and Escalation Time is necessary.

The Importance of Time Metrics

The art of time management is not so much about breaking down your workflow into metrics and simply measuring them. It's about learning to interpret the metrics and decide based on them.

For example, you can't tell everyone that a specific Cycle Time is bad, so you must hire three more developers. All workflows, tasks, projects, and requests to Support are different.

To form a uniformly acceptable norm, analyze historical data on your team's productivity, propose hypotheses, and make decisions.  

And this is the information that time metrics will provide you with: 

1. Efficiency and Productivity. By measuring the time it takes to complete tasks and projects, you can identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement. This can help increase productivity and reduce waste.
2. Quality Control. Metrics like Testing Time and Time to Fix Bugs can help ensure product quality. They allow teams to identify and fix issues promptly, improving the overall quality of the product or service.
3. Customer Satisfaction. Metrics such as Time to First Response and Resolution Time are crucial for customer service. Meeting or exceeding customer expectations can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.
4. Competitive Advantage. Time to Market can provide a competitive advantage. The faster a company can bring a product to market, the more likely it is to gain market share and stay ahead of competitors.
5. Resource Allocation. Understanding how long tasks and projects take can help with resource planning and allocation. This can ensure that resources are used effectively and efficiently.
6. Performance Evaluation. These metrics can be used to evaluate team and individual performance. They provide objective data that can be used for feedback, coaching, and recognition.
7. Forecasting and Planning. Historical time data can be used to estimate future project timelines and set realistic deadlines, improving project planning and management. 

How to Measure Time Metrics in Jira

We suggest using the Time Between Statuses app to measure time metrics and generate reports based on them.

What are the features and benefits? By default, Jira doesn't allow you to group statuses and calculate their transition time. In the Time Between Status app, you can group the necessary statuses according to your workflow into groups and calculate various time metrics.

For example, to calculate the Time to Resolution metric, you can group statuses from the First transition to Waiting to support status to the Last transition to Resolved status. From the calculation, we can exclude the period of time spent in statuses whose duration we cannot influence, for example, Waiting for customer status.

After setting up all Status Groups to calculate time metrics within a particular project, you get a grid with all the calculations. You can also set up your work schedule so that the metrics calculation does not include non-working hours, weekends, and holidays.

Using the histogram chart, you can visualize each of the time metrics.

If you need to share the measured values, export the report to Excel.

Instead of conclusion

Don't wait; start harnessing the power of time metrics in your departments today. It's a straightforward process that can optimize your processes, enhance customer service, and give you a competitive edge. Apps like the Time Between Statuses app in Jira make measuring these metrics a breeze, empowering you to make data-driven decisions. And the best part? You can try it out for free with a 30-day trial period:

• Time Between Statuses for Jira Cloud
• Time Between Statuses for Jira Data Center

See you at SaaSJet! 🙂