Cycle time - a metric for scrum

Cycle time is the average amount of time a team needs from the moment they pull a piece of work until it is ready to be implemented. The metric is calculated using the following formula

Average Cycle Time = Sum(UoW Complete Date – UoW Start Date)/ (Total Completed Number of UoW)

UoW = Unit of Work

If a team completes four UoW in a sprint with the cycle times of 4 days, 10 days, 5 days, and 1 day the average cycle time would be 5 days (20 days/ 4 UoW).

The unit of work can be any unit of work the team tracks.

Velocity and cycle time are not the same