Which timing metric represents the total time a unit spends in the system from start to finish, including waiting and processing?

Which timing metric represents the total time a unit spends in the system from start to finish, including waiting and processing?

• A. Bottleneck Time
• B. Cycle Time
• C. Throughput Time
• D. Lead Time

Answer: (C)

Throughput time, sometimes called flow time, captures the total duration a unit spends in the system from entry to exit, including all waiting in queues and the processing time. It reflects the full journey of a unit as it moves through every step, making it the most complete measure of how long work sits in the system before completion. This differs from cycle time, which is the time between the start and finish of processing for a unit once it has begun and does not inherently include pre-processing waiting. It also differs from lead time, which is typically the external time from a customer order to delivery. So the metric that matches “start to finish in the system, including waiting and processing” is throughput time.

Throughput time, sometimes called flow time, captures the total duration a unit spends in the system from entry to exit, including all waiting in queues and the processing time. It reflects the full journey of a unit as it moves through every step, making it the most complete measure of how long work sits in the system before completion. This differs from cycle time, which is the time between the start and finish of processing for a unit once it has begun and does not inherently include pre-processing waiting. It also differs from lead time, which is typically the external time from a customer order to delivery. So the metric that matches “start to finish in the system, including waiting and processing” is throughput time.