Takt Time Cycle Time

There has been an interesting discussion thread on Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) Experts group on LinkedIn over the ast
!e" "eeks on the di!!erences bet"een takt time and c#ce time$
This is one o! the !undamentas I%d have thought "as "e understood out there& aong "ith some nuances& but I "as 'uite
surprised b# the number (and 'uait#) o! misconceptions posted b# peope "ith ean and (igma in their )ob tites$
I see t"o !undamenta sources o! con!usion& and I "oud ike to cari!# each here$
Cycle Time has multiple definitions.
C#ce time can mean the tota eapsed time bet"een "hen a customer paces an order and "hen he receives it$ This de!inition
can be used externa#& or "ith interna customers$ This de!inition actua# pre*dates most o! the Engish pubications about the
To#ota +roduction (#stem$
It can aso express the dock*to*dock !o" time o! the entire process& or some other inear segment o! the !o"$ The vaue stream
mapping in Learning to See cas this production ead time but some peope ca the same thing c#ce time$
In ear# pubications about the T+(& such as (uzaki%s New Manufacturing Challange and ,irano%s JIT Implementation Manual& the
term c#ce time is used to represent "hat& toda#& "e ca takt time$ -ust to con!use things more& c#ce time is aso used to
represent the actua "ork c#ce "hich ma#& or ma# not& be baanced to the takt time$
.e aso have machine c#ce time& "hich is the start*to*start time o! a machine and is used to baance to a manua "ork c#ce and&
in con)unction "ith the batch size& is a measure o! its theoretica capacit#$
C#ce time is used to express the tota manua "ork invoved in a process& or part o! a process$
/nd& o! course& c#ce time is used to express the "ork c#ce o! a singe person& not incuding end*o!*c#ce "ait time$
0one o! these de!initions is "rong$ The source o! con!usion is "hen the users have not !irst been cear on their context$ There!ore&
it is critica# important to estabish context "hen #ou are taking$ /d)ectives ike operator c#ce time hep$ 1ut the main thing is
to be conscious that this can be a ma)or source o! con!usion unti #ou are certain #ou and the other person are on the same
"aveength$
Takt time is often over simplified.
The cassic cacuation !or takt time is2
Available Minutes for Production / e!uired "nits of Production # Takt Time
This is exact# right$ 1ut peope tend to get "rapped up around "hat constitutes avaiabe time$ The pure de!inition is usua#
to take the tota shi!t time(s) and subtract breaks& meetings& and other administrative non*"orking time$ 0obod# ever has a
probem "ith this$ (3a#be because that is the "a# (hingi)utsu teaches it& and peope tend to accept "hat (hingi)utsu sa#s at !ace
vaue$)
(o et%s revie" and exampe o! "hat "e have rea# done here$ 4or the sake o! a simpe discussion& et%s assume a singe 5 hour
shi!t on a 6 da# "ork "eek$ There is a 789 hour unpaid unch break in the midde o! the da#& so the "orkers are actua# in the pant
at "ork !or 5 789 hours$ (this is t#pica in the :(/& i! #ou are in another countr#& it might be di!!erent !or #ou)
(o "e start "ith 5 hours2
$ hours % &' minutes # ($' total minutes
1ut there is a 7; minute start*up process in the morning& t"o 7; minute breaks during the da#& and 76 minutes shut*do"n and cean
up at the end o! the shi!t !or a tota o! <6 minutes$ This time is not production time& so it is subtracted !rom avaiabe minutes2
($' () # (*)
/ ver# common mistake at this point "oud be to subtract the =; minute unch break$ 1ut notice that "e did not incude that time
to start "ith$ (ubtracting it again "oud count it t"ice$
(o "hen determining takt time& "e "oud use <=6 minutes as the baseine$ I! eveed customer demand "as 6; units 8 da#& then the
takt time "oud be2
(*) available minutes / )' re!uired units of production # $.+ minutes ,or )-- seconds.
0ote that #ou can )ust as easi# do this !or a "eek& rather than a da#$
(*) minutes % ) days # -/+) total available minutes
-/+) available minutes / -)' re!uired units of production still e!uals $.+ minutes ,or )-- seconds.
/ o! this is ver# basic stu!!& and I "oud get !e" arguments up to this point& so "h# did I go through it>
1ecause i! #ou "ere to run this !actor# at a 699 second takt time& #ou "i come up short o! #our production targets$ ?ou "i have
to "ork overtime to make up the di!!erence& or simp# choose not to make it up$
.h#> 1ecause there are a"a#s probems& and probems disrupt production$ Those disruptions come at the expense o! the <=6
minutes& and #ou end up "ith ess production time than #ou cacuated$
Then there is the !act that the pant manager caed an a*hands sa!et# meeting on Thursda#$ That pued =; minutes out o! #our
production time$ /most !our units o! production ost there$
I coud go on "ith a m#riad o! exampes gathered !rom rea production !oors& but #ou get the idea$
,ere is "hat is even "orse& though$
.hen are #ou going to "ork on improvements>
I! #ou expect operators to do their dai# machine checks& "hen do #ou expect that to happen>
@o #ou tru# expect #our team members to stop the ine "hen there is a probem>
/ o! these things take time a"a# !rom production$
The conse'uence is that the shop !oor eadership A the ones "ho have to dea "ith the conse'uences o! disrupted production A "i
ook at takt time as a nice theor#& or a "a# to express a 'uota& but on a minute*b#*minute eve& it is prett# useess !or actua#
pacing production$
/ because it "as oversimpi!ied$
I! #ou expect peope to do something other than produce a da#& you have to give them time to do it$
Let%s get back to the !undamenta purpose o! takt time and then see "hat makes sense$
The Purpose of Takt Time
,ere is some heres#2 Bunning to takt time is "ho# unnecessar#$ 3an# !actories operate )ust !ine "ithout even kno"ing "hat it is$
.hat those !actories ose& ho"ever& is a !ine*grained sense o! ho" things are going minute b# minute$ Truth!u#& i! the# have
another "a# to immediate# see disruptions& act to cear them& !oo"ed b# soving the under#ing probem then the# are as ean
as an#one$ (o here is the second heres#2 ?ou don%t 0EE@ takt time to be ean$
.hat #ou need is some "a# to determine the minimum resource necessar# to get the )ob done (-IT)& and a "a# to continuous#
compare "hat is actua# happening vs$ "hat shoud be happening& and then a process to immediate# act on an# di!!erence
(jidoka)$ This is "hat makes ean happen$
Takt time is )ust a too !or doing this$ It is& ho"ever& a ver# e!!ective too$ It is so e!!ective& in !act& that it is arge# considered a
necessar# !undamenta$ ,onest#& in da# to da# conversation& that is ho" I ook at it$ I made the above statements to get #ou to
think outside the mantras !or a minute$
0hat is takt time1 really2
Takt time is an expression o! #our customer demand normaized and eveed over the time #ou choose to produce$ It is not& and
never has been& a pure customer demand signa$ Customers do not order the same 'uantit# ever# da#$ The# do not stop ordering
during #our breaks& or "hen #our shi!t is over$ .hat takt time does& ho"ever& is make customer demand appear eve across #our
"orking da#$
This has severa bene!its$
4irst& is it makes capacit# cacuations rea# eas# through a compex !o"$ ?ou can easi# determine "hat each and ever#
process must be capabe o!$ ?ou can determine the necessar# speeds o! machines and other capita e'uipment$ ?ou determine
minimum batch sizes "hen there are changeovers invoved$ ?ou can ook at an# process and 'uick# determine the optimum
number o! peope re'uired to make it "ork& pus see opportunities "here a itte bit o! kaizen "i make a big di!!erence in
productivit#$
3ore important#& though& takt time gives #our team members a "a# to kno" exact# "hat success ooks ike !or each and ever#
unit o! production$ (assuming #ou give them a "a# to compare ever# "ork c#ce against the takt time A #ou do that& don%t #ou>)
This gives #our team members the abiit# to et #ou kno" immediate# i! something is threatening re'uired output$ +ut another
"a#& it gives #our entire team the abiit# to see 'uick# spot probems and respond to them be!ore itte issues accumuate into
"orking on (aturda#$
The ke# point here is that to get the bene!it& #ou have to have a takt time that actua# paces production$ It has to be rea& tangibe&
and practica# appied on the shop !oor$ Cther"ise it is )ust an abstract& theoretica number$
This means hoding back avaiabe time !or various panned (and unpanned) events "here production "oud be stopped$
4urther& in a compex !o"& there ma# be oca takt times A !or exampe& a process that !eeds more than one main ine is going to be
running to the aggregated demand& and so its takt "i be !aster than either o! them$ Like"ise& a !eeder ine that buids up a part or
option that is not used on ever# unit is going to be running so"er$
/nd !ina# i! disruptions do cause short!as to the re'uired output& #ou have to make it up sometime$ I! #ou are constrained !rom
running overtime (and man# operations are !or various reasons)& then #our on# aternative is to buid a sight over speed into #our
takt time cacuation$ The nuances o! this are the topic o! a much onger essa#& but the basics are this2
* I! ever#thing goes "e& #ou "i !inish ear#$ (top and use the time !or organized improvement o! either process or deveoping
peope$ Continuing to produce is overproduction& and )ust means #ou run out o! "ork sooner i! #ou have a good da# tomorro"$
* I! there are issues& the use the bu!!er time !or its intended purpose$
* I! there are more issues than bu!!er time& there is an operationa decision to make$ ,ave a poic# in pace !or this$ The simpest is
hope !or a better da# tomorro" and use tomorro"%s bu!!er time to cose the gap$ I! this isn%t enough& then a management
decision about overtime or some other remed# is re'uired$
.hat about )ust ao"ing production to !a short> .e$$ i! this is CK& then #ou "ere running !aster than customer demand aread#$
(o pu that extra out o! #our schedue& stop overproducing ("hich in)ects its o"n disruptions into things)& and dea "ith "hat
)ust actua# have to accompish$ (top in!ating the numbers because the# hide the probems& the probems accumuate& and #ou
end up having to in!ate even more$
3ee1 all of this seems complicated.
?eah& it can be$ 1ut that compexit# is usua# the resut o! having an ad*hoc cuture that makes up the reactions as #ou go aong
rather than a comprehensive thought*out s#stems*eve approach$ The ke# is to "ork through the "hat i!D !or "hat #ou are
doing and thinking about doing& ho" the pieces actua# interconnect and interact& and have a pan$
That pan is the !irst part o! +an*@o*Check*/ct$
Then& as the rea "ord intrudes& #ou can test #our thinking against reait# and get better and better rather than )ust being gad #ou
survived another da#$
/nd that& is the "hoe point o! kno"ing #our c#ce times and takt times$