Trackline
How long a file takes to close
The figure that warns earlier than any other, and how to read it without fooling yourself.
The percentage of files up to date is the figure everyone watches, and it warns worst: it holds up nicely until it suddenly drops. Average time to close moves weeks earlier, because it picks up what is jamming right now.
The three ways to read it
| Measure | What it says | When it misleads |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | General behaviour | Four endless cases inflate it and everything looks bad |
| Median | How the typical case goes | It hides a tail of very old cases |
| Oldest still open | Where the specific problem is | It never misleads, and it is the least watched |
Important
Look at all three, especially the third. If the mean worsens but the median does not move, you do not have a process problem: you have four specific jammed cases, and that is fixed with four conversations, not a redesign.
Where the time actually goes
- 1
Waiting for someone outside to supply
Almost always the longest leg, and the one automatic chasing shortens most.
- 2
Waiting for someone inside to review
The second, and the most uncomfortable to admit.
- 3
In a step nobody knows is theirs
The classic in multi-party processes.
- 4
And in formal closure
Files finished in practice that nobody marks as closed.
Watch out
The fourth pollutes every figure and is not a real problem: closing them when they finish already delivers half the apparent improvement. Rule it out before drawing conclusions about the process.
What to do with the figure
Once split by legs, the conversation changes: it stops being "we're slow" and becomes "eleven days waiting for the supplier and four to review", which are two different problems with two different owners.
Worth knowing
If time falls but approved exceptions rise, you have not improved: you have started letting things through. The two figures are read together or not at all.
›How often should it be checked?
Monthly. Weekly only while correcting something.
›What if we have few files?
Look at the oldest one open; a mean over few cases says nothing.
›Is it useful for targets?
Yes, but per leg. A target on the total is met by whoever closes early, not whoever works better.
A real case
The situation
A team sees its average time rise and considers redesigning the process.
What you do
- Checks the median, which has not moved, and the oldest open file
- Resolves four jammed cases
What you get
The average returns to normal without touching the process, which was not the problem.
The situation
Average time rises and nobody knows why.
What you do
- Checks whether the rise comes from one phase
What you get
The stretch that lengthened is tackled.
The situation
The average hides a few very long cases.
What you do
- Also looks at the extremes
What you get
You see the real problem rather than the mean.
The situation
The figure is compared across months without context.
What you do
- Accounts for campaigns and holidays
What you get
The comparison is honest.
The situation
Time is counted from when someone opens it by hand.
What you do
- Counts from when the request was sent
What you get
The figure reflects what the other side waits.
The situation
It is measured and nothing is done with the figure.
What you do
- Sets a target and reviews monthly
What you get
The indicator supports a decision.
This article answers
- how long we take to complete a process
- measuring file cycle time
- why closing takes so long
- processing time indicator