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 …
Explores how inefficient processes, not individual shortcomings, hinder developer productivity and performance, highlighting the need for systemic improvements.
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.
Brandes Investment Partners L.P.
Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd
Cognizant Microsoft Business Group (MBG)
SuperControl
ProgramUtvikling
Big Data for Humans
Qualco
MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.
Alignment Healthcare
Lean SA
Slaughter and May
Illumina
Akaditi
Boxit Document Solutions
Genus Breeding Ltd
Epic Games
Emerson Process Management
Higher Education Statistics Agency
Department of Work and Pensions (UK)
Royal Air Force
Washington Department of Transport
Washington Department of Enterprise Services
Ghana Police Service
Nottingham County Council
SuperControl
Akaditi
Xceptor - Process and Data Automation
Lean SA
Teleplan
Kongsberg Maritime