What to do if my Cycle Time is high?
High cycle time means that it takes a longer than desirable duration to complete tasks, such as features or bug fixes, from the start of development to delivery. This can indicate inefficiencies in the process, such as bottlenecks, poor resource allocation, or overly complex tasks. High cycle times often lead to slower delivery of value, reduced productivity, and a lack of responsiveness to changes, which can impact overall project success and stakeholder satisfaction.
Reducing the org's cycle time is crucial for maintaining agility and ensuring timely, cost-effective delivery of quality software.
Identify which team or repo
As a first step we should understand which team or repo is facing high cycle times so that we can evaluate if that is expected or not given the business context and focus on them.
You can do this in the Cockpit, by switiching to tabular view and sorting on cycle time column.
Identify the bottlenecks - whether coding, review, or merge
To understand what is causing the cycle time to be high, it is important to identify which phases of the development are taking the longest.
We can do this by going to the Process screen, filtering on any particular teams, and understanding from the trendline which phase is taking longer.
Causes for high cycle time
Review and testing bottlenecks: Delays in specific stages like code reviews, testing, or approvals can create bottlenecks, slowing down the overall process.
Lack of Automation: Manual processes for testing, deployment, or integration can significantly increase cycle time. Lack of CI/CD pipelines can contribute to this.
Overloaded Team Members: If team members are juggling too many tasks or are overburdened, it can delay progress on their assigned tasks.
Unclear Prioritization: When tasks are not clearly prioritized, developers may focus on less critical work, delaying more important tasks.
Scope Creep: Continuously adding new requirements or features during the development process can extend the cycle time.
To know more on understanding and addressing high Coding times, high Merge times, and high Review times, please refer to the linked articles.
How to reduce Cycle Time?
Optimize Code Reviews: Streamline code review processes by setting clear guidelines, automating checks, and ensuring timely reviews. Consider implementing a review rotation to evenly distribute the workload.
Automate Testing and Deployment: Automate repetitive tasks such as unit testing, integration testing, and deployment to reduce manual effort and minimize errors.
Prioritize Work Effectively: Use tools like Kanban boards or sprint planning to prioritize tasks based on their importance and impact. Focus on high-value tasks that can be delivered quickly.
Limit Work in Progress (WIP): Avoid overloading developers with too many tasks at once. Limiting WIP helps maintain focus and reduces context switching, leading to faster completion of individual tasks.
Refactor Code Regularly: Dedicate time to refactoring and cleaning up code to reduce technical debt. Cleaner code is easier to work with, leading to faster development and fewer bugs.
If you need additional help, feel free to reach out to support@hivel.ai.
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