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Cycle Time
Definition: Cycle Time measures the duration from the first commit on a feature branch to its deployment in production. It represents the speed at which the engineering team can deliver a piece of work once it has started.
Why It Matters
Cycle Time is a powerful indicator of overall engineering efficiency and process health.
Measures Process Velocity: It directly reflects how quickly your team can turn ideas into production-ready code. Shorter cycle times mean faster delivery of value.
Highlights Bottlenecks: A long or erratic Cycle Time often points to hidden constraints in your workflow, such as slow code reviews, inefficient testing, or manual deployment processes.
Improves Predictability: Teams with stable and short Cycle Times are more predictable, making it easier to forecast project timelines and manage stakeholder expectations.
How to Measure It
Cycle Time is calculated as the total time elapsed between two key events:
Cycle Time = Time(Production Release) - Time(First Commit on Branch)
It can be broken down into sub-stages for more granular analysis:
Coding Time: From first commit to PR creation.
Pickup Time: From PR creation to the start of the review process.
Review Time: From the start of the review to PR approval.
Deploy Time: From PR merge to production release.
Interpretation & Benchmarks
Goal: The primary goal is to achieve a short and stable Cycle Time.
Trends are Key: Focus on the trend over time rather than absolute numbers. A consistently decreasing trend is a sign of successful process improvements.
Industry Benchmarks (DORA):
Elite: Less than 24 hours.
High: Between one day and one week.
Medium: Between one week and one month.
Low: More than one month.