Process step cycle time

About this report

Value streams define process steps that an organization uses to create a continuous flow of value to their customers. The process step cycle time report displays three charts related to process steps to show statistics on work items flowing through a value stream.

The charts are generated when you select a value stream from the Value Stream drop-down menu on the upper-left of the page, and enter a date range in the corresponding fields. A date range will be populated for you when you select a PI.

• Value Stream Process Step Cycle Time: Bar chart displaying the average time a work item is assigned to a process step of a value stream, during the date range. Below the chart, the average time work items spend in the value stream is displayed. Hover over a bar to see details.
  
  
  
  Below the bar chart is a line chart, which plots the total count of days work items have been assigned to each process step over time.
  
  
  
  You may also use the line chart to change the date range. Click-and-drag to highlight a period in the chart you want to see in more detail. The line chart and bar chart above will both update to the new date range. To return to the previous date range, click the Reset Zoom button in the top right corner of the chart.
  
• Value Stream WIP: Bar chart displaying the average number of work items assigned to each process step during the date range. Below the chart, the overall average of the number of work items across all steps in the value stream is displayed. Hover over a bar to see details.
  
  
  
  Below the bar chart is a line chart, which plots the number of work items assigned to each process step over time.
  
  
  
  You may also use the line chart to change the date range. Click-and-drag to highlight a period in the chart you want to see in more detail. The line chart and bar chart above will both update to the new date range. To return to the previous date range, click the Reset Zoom button in the top right corner of the chart.
  
• Cycle Time Control: Line chart displaying the average number of days work items spend in a value stream, a rolling daily average, and the number of days spent in the stream by completed work items.
  
  
  

To navigate to this report:

1. Select Portfolios, Solutions, or Programs in the top navigation bar and select the entity you want to view information about.
2. On the sidebar, select Reports in the list of options.
3. Select Value stream cycle time; the report displays.

Prerequisites

1. Value Stream exists in the system
2. Process steps are defined for the value stream
3. Work items exist in the system: themes, epics, capabilities, features, and stories
4. Work items have to progress through the process steps in the value stream; i.e., change stages after X amount of days

How are report values calculated?  

Value Stream Process Step Cycle Time

Average Time = Number of days each work item spends in a process step / number of work items that transitioned through a process step. 

Example: Story A was assigned to a process step for 10 days. Story B was assigned to the same process step for 8 days. 

(10 + 8) / 2 = 9 day Average Time.

Average Percentage =  Average Time of a process step / sum of all process step Average Time values * 100

Example: Our value stream has four process steps that recorded work items flowing through them during the date range: 

• Step A - 4.5 days Average Time
• Step B - 6.5 days 
• Step C - 7 days 
• Step D - 2 days 

To calculate the Average Percentage for step A:

(4.5 / (4.5 + 6.5 + 7 + 2)) * 100 = 22.5%

Value Stream WIP

Average Work Items = The average number of work items assigned to a process step during the chart’s date range. Total count of work items in a step each day / number of days.

Example: Our chart is set to show the last five days. Work items move in and out of a specific process step during the date range: 

• Day 1 - 5 items in the process step
• Day 2 - 6 items
• Day 3 - 4 items
• Day 4 - 3 items
• Day 5 - 5 items

(5 + 6 + 4 + 3 + 5) / 5 days = 4.6 Average Work Items 

Average Percentage = Average Work Items value of a process step / sum of all process step Average Work Items values * 100.

Example: Our value stream has four process steps that recorded features flowing through them during the chart’s date range:

• Step A - 4.6 Average Work Items 
• Step B - 3.4
• Step C - 8
• Step D - 2

To calculate the Average Percentage for process step A:

(4.6 / (4.6+3.4+8+2)) * 100 = 25.55%

Average Value Stream WIP = Sum of Average Work Items values for all process steps / number of process steps. 

Example: Our value stream has four process steps that recorded features flowing through them during the chart’s date range:

• Step A - 4.6 Average Work Items 
• Step B - 3.4
• Step C - 8
• Step D - 2

(4.6+3.4+8+2) / 4 = 4.5 Average Value Stream WIP

Cycle Time Control 

Rolling Average = The average number of days all work items have been in process steps in the value stream, for that specific date.

Example: There are two items in the value stream, each added to the value stream on the first day of the chart's date range.

Day 1  

• Item A - 1 day in value stream
• Item B - 1 day in value stream

2 days / 2 work items =  1 day Rolling Average

Day 2 

• Item A - 2 days in value stream
• Item B - 2 days in value stream

4 days / 2 work items = 2 day Rolling Average

Overall Average = Sum of all rolling averages from each day/number of days in the chart. 

Example: We set our chart to report on the past three days. The rolling average reported on each day was 3 days, 4 days, and 5 days. 

(3+4+5) / 3 days = 4 day Overall Average.

Completed Work Items = Sum of days spent in the value stream / number of work items completed on that day. A work item is completed when it is moved into the final process step.

Example: Two work items are moved into the final process step on August 11th.

• Item A - spent 2 days in value stream before completion
• Item B - spent 4 days in value stream before completion

(2+4) / 2 items = 3 days.

When viewing the chart, a blue diamond will display above August 11, indicating items were completed on that day. Hover over the diamond to see the Completed Work Items value.

How to interpret this report

View the charts to identify bottlenecks and delays where work items are remaining too long in process steps. Each value stream provides a continuous flow of value to your customers, so improving velocity, quality, and time to market is key. Look for a clear delivery path for your work items, gaining an understanding of the delivery process and how it can be improved.