Reducing Cycle Time by 20%

Reducing Cycle Time by 20%

Oct 10, 2025

Oct 10, 2025

The Challenge

Delivery throughput was inconsistent. Work accumulated in progress, priorities shifted mid-sprint, and teams were overloaded with parallel initiatives. Cycle times were unpredictable, creating planning friction and frequent escalations.

The Approach

I introduced explicit WIP limits across teams, implemented pull-based policies, and defined prioritization guardrails to prevent mid-stream scope disruption. Aging work was made visible, and decision rights around priority changes were clarified.

The Outcome

Average cycle time decreased by ~20–25%.

Flow became more stable, work in progress reduced, and teams regained focus — improving predictability without adding process overhead.

The Challenge

Delivery throughput was inconsistent. Work accumulated in progress, priorities shifted mid-sprint, and teams were overloaded with parallel initiatives. Cycle times were unpredictable, creating planning friction and frequent escalations.

The Approach

I introduced explicit WIP limits across teams, implemented pull-based policies, and defined prioritization guardrails to prevent mid-stream scope disruption. Aging work was made visible, and decision rights around priority changes were clarified.

The Outcome

Average cycle time decreased by ~20–25%.

Flow became more stable, work in progress reduced, and teams regained focus — improving predictability without adding process overhead.