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title: Cycle time - a metric for scrum
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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](https://tcagley.wordpress.com/2017/11/28/frequently-asked-question-velocity-and-cycle-time-are-not-the-same/)