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Open toolCycle Time Analyzer (Bottleneck, Takt Time & Little's Law WIP)
Pinpoint your slowest workstation and quantify flow losses: calculate bottleneck cycle time (`CT_max`), Takt time margin, hourly and shift throughput, line balance efficiency (`LBE`), flow efficiency, and Little's Law equilibrium WIP.
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How Workstation Cycle Time, Line Balance & Little's Law Work
A multi-stage workflow is constrained by its bottleneck pace (`CT_max`) and its total accumulated queue delay (`T_wait`).
Bottleneck Cycle Time: CT_max = max(CT_1..CT_K); Total Touch Time: T_touch = sum(CT_i); Total Lead Time: LT = T_touch + T_wait; Takt Time = (Available_Min * 60) / Demand; Hourly Capacity = 3600 / CT_max; Line Balance Efficiency (LBE) = T_touch / (K * CT_max) * 100%; Flow Efficiency = (T_touch / LT) * 100%; Little's Law WIP = LT / CT_max.
In a serial production line without parallel station duplication, total line throughput is strictly bounded by the slowest station (CT_max). Little's Law (WIP = Throughput * Lead Time) represents steady-state average work-in-progress.
Cycle Time, Takt Time & Line Balancing Reference Table
Core lean manufacturing formulas and exact benchmark metrics for the default 5-station line (`18s, 24s, 42s, 30s, 21s`, `265s` queue wait, `450 min` shift, `600` units demand).
| Flow Metric | Exact Formula | Default 5-Station Output | Operational Benchmark / Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Bottleneck Cycle Time (`CT_max`)** | `max(CT_1, CT_2, ..., CT_K)` | `42.00 s/unit` (Station #3) | Governs pace of the entire serial line (`85.71 units/hr`) |
| **Customer Takt Time** | `(Available_Min * 60) / Shift_Demand` | `45.00 s/unit` (`27,000s / 600`) | `CT_max <= Takt` required (`+3.00s` safety margin) |
| **Shift Capacity vs. Demand** | `floor((Available_Min * 60) / CT_max)` | `642 units/shift` vs. `600` target | `+42 units` (`+7.05%`) buffer per 450-minute shift |
| **Line Balance Efficiency (`LBE`)** | `sum(CT_i) / (K * CT_max) * 100%` | `64.29%` (`135s / 210s`) | World-class assembly lines target `LBE >= 85%` |
| **Flow Efficiency & Little's Law WIP** | `T_touch / (T_touch + T_wait)`, `WIP = LT / CT_max` | `33.75%` flow (`135s / 400s`), `WIP = 9.52 units` | Reducing queue wait lowers WIP and lead time proportionally |
How to use Cycle Time Analyzer (Bottleneck, Takt Time & Little's Law WIP) step by step
Enter the values for your scenario, verify the units, and run the calculation.
Enter the inputs
Start by entering the required fields in the Cycle Time Analyzer (Bottleneck, Takt Time & Little's Law WIP) form above.
Verify units and assumptions
Match each value to the unit or format shown next to the input box before running the calculation.
Run and export your result
Select Analyze Cycle Time & Flow, inspect the primary metric and breakdown cards, then use Copy result or Download result.txt.
Worked examples for Cycle Time Analyzer (Bottleneck, Takt Time & Little's Law WIP)
Compare baseline and alternative runs for Cycle Time Analyzer (Bottleneck, Takt Time & Little's Law WIP) before exporting the result.
Baseline example
Calculate bottleneck cycle time, Takt time margin, hourly and shift throughput, line balance efficiency, flow efficiency, and Little's Law WIP from workstation times.
Comparison scenario
Bottleneck Cycle Time: CT_max = max(CT_1..CT_K); Total Touch Time: T_touch = sum(CT_i); Total Lead Time: LT = T_touch + T_wait; Takt Time = (Available_Min * 60) / Demand; Hourly Capacity = 3600 / CT_max; Line Balance Efficiency (LBE) = T_touch / (K * CT_max) * 100%; Flow Efficiency = (T_touch / LT) * 100%; Little's Law WIP = LT / CT_max.
Boundary check before exporting
In a serial production line without parallel station duplication, total line throughput is strictly bounded by the slowest station (CT_max). Little's Law (WIP = Throughput * Lead Time) represents steady-state average work-in-progress.
How to interpret the Cycle Time Analyzer (Bottleneck, Takt Time & Little's Law WIP) output
Review the calculated output alongside your entered parameters and unit conventions.
In a serial production line without parallel station duplication, total line throughput is strictly bounded by the slowest station (CT_max). Little's Law (WIP = Throughput * Lead Time) represents steady-state average work-in-progress.
Cycle Time Data Collection Checklist
Avoid these three common measurement errors during time studies.
Bottleneck Cycle Time: CT_max = max(CT_1..CT_K); Total Touch Time: T_touch = sum(CT_i); Total Lead Time: LT = T_touch + T_wait; Takt Time = (Available_Min * 60) / Demand; Hourly Capacity = 3600 / CT_max; Line Balance Efficiency (LBE) = T_touch / (K * CT_max) * 100%; Flow Efficiency = (T_touch / LT) * 100%; Little's Law WIP = LT / CT_max. In a serial production line without parallel station duplication, total line throughput is strictly bounded by the slowest station (CT_max). Little's Law (WIP = Throughput * Lead Time) represents steady-state average work-in-progress.
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Open toolFrequently Asked Questions About Cycle Time, Takt Time & WIP
Answers about using Cycle Time Analyzer (Bottleneck, Takt Time & Little's Law WIP) and understanding its results.
What is the difference between Cycle Time, Takt Time, and Lead Time?
Cycle Time (CT) is the actual time required for a workstation (or the bottleneck station CT_max) to complete one unit. Takt Time is the customer demand pace (Available Net Production Seconds divided by Customer Demand Units). Lead Time (LT, or turnaround time) is the total elapsed time a single item takes from raw input to finished output, equal to Total Active Touch Time plus Total Queue Wait Time.
How is Line Balance Efficiency (LBE) calculated across workstations?
Line Balance Efficiency measures how evenly work is distributed across K sequential stations: LBE = (sum of all station cycle times) / (K * CT_max) * 100%. If 5 stations take 18s, 24s, 42s, 30s, and 21s (sum = 135s, bottleneck CT_max = 42s), LBE = 135 / (5 * 42) = 64.29%, meaning 35.71% of station capacity is lost to starvation or blocking waiting on Station #3.
How does Little's Law connect Bottleneck Cycle Time, Lead Time, and WIP?
Little's Law states that average Work-In-Progress equals Throughput multiplied by Lead Time (WIP = lambda * LT). Since steady-state line throughput is lambda = 1 / CT_max units per second, equilibrium WIP is simply LT / CT_max. With a 400-second lead time and a 42-second bottleneck cycle time, the line holds an average of 400 / 42 = 9.52 units in progress.
What should I do if Bottleneck Cycle Time (CT_max) exceeds Takt Time?
When CT_max > Takt Time, the line cannot meet shift demand without overtime. You can either split tasks from the bottleneck station onto adjacent under-utilized stations (line balancing), add a parallel workstation at the bottleneck (halving its effective cycle time), or apply SMED / process improvements to reduce active cycle seconds.
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