Why Measuring Individual Cycle Time Fails
Measuring individual cycle time overlooks team performance and system bottlenecks. Focus on lead time, throughput, and process efficiency to improve …
TL;DR; Developer performance issues are often caused by slow or broken processes, not individual shortcomings. Focusing on improving systems like training, reviews, and team handoffs leads to better results than blaming people. To boost productivity, address process bottlenecks rather than targeting individuals.

I once heard a leader say, “This developer is too slow.” No, the process was slow.
If someone on your team is struggling, it’s not a personal failing—it’s a system failure. Maybe they weren’t given the right training. Maybe work sits in review for weeks. Maybe the handoffs between teams are a mess.
Nigel Thurlow puts it perfectly:
“You never measure a person, ever. You only ever measure a process. You improve the system, never the people within it.”
People don’t fail in a vacuum. The system sets them up for success or failure. If you’re spending time trying to fix the person, you’re missing the real problem.
Want better performance? Fix the process.
Have you ever seen someone get blamed for a system failure?
Each classification [Concepts, Categories, & Tags] was assigned using AI-powered semantic analysis and scored across relevance, depth, and alignment. Final decisions? Still human. Always traceable. Hover to see how it applies.
If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.
We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.

Qualco

Xceptor - Process and Data Automation

Boeing

Graham & Brown

Schlumberger

DFDS

Microsoft

Workday

Slaughter and May

Emerson Process Management

Kongsberg Maritime

Jack Links

Deliotte

Sage

Trayport

Philips

YearUp.org

Cognizant Microsoft Business Group (MBG)

Washington Department of Transport

New Hampshire Supreme Court

Washington Department of Enterprise Services

Royal Air Force

Nottingham County Council

Department of Work and Pensions (UK)

Big Data for Humans

Cognizant Microsoft Business Group (MBG)

Kongsberg Maritime

New Signature

YearUp.org

Epic Games