What does cycle time measure?

Cycle time measures the total time taken from the beginning to the completion of a process. This encompasses all phases of production or service delivery, which may include waiting times, processing times, and any delays. Understanding cycle time is crucial for businesses as it helps in identifying inefficiencies and optimizing processes for better productivity.

When analyzing cycle time, organizations can assess how effectively they are utilizing their resources and identify stages in the workflow that may be extended unnecessarily. By focusing on cycle time, companies can work towards reducing it, which can lead to faster project completion, improved customer satisfaction, and potentially lower costs.

The other choices refer to different metrics. For instance, measuring the effectiveness of employee performance focuses more on the individual contributions to a task rather than the entire process duration. The average time between customer service calls pertains to call center operations and does not reflect a broad view of a process's lifecycle. Lastly, the time it takes to deliver goods to a client is a specific aspect of logistics rather than a comprehensive measure of the entire process cycle.