Manufacturing Operations · Production flow · Component
The flow measure
Working time against elapsed time, per product line — the number that shows how much of the lead time is actually production.
The deliverable
What it is
Flow efficiency in manufacturing is usually higher than in office processes and still lower than anyone expects.
It is most useful as a comparative measure — before and after a change, or between lines — since the absolute figure invites definitional argument.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The efficiency
The ratio of processing time to total elapsed time.
3 attributes: Flow efficiency · Product line · Period
LearnThe throughput
Units completed per period, which must not fall when flow improves.
3 attributes: Throughput · Against constraint capacity · Trend
LearnThe lead time
Elapsed time from release to completion, with its spread.
3 attributes: Lead time · Spread · Promise basis
Learn
Hold throughput alongside flow efficiency. A flow improvement that reduces throughput optimised the wrong thing.
The other components in production flow
The flow map
How work moves through production, with queues and handovers made visible rather than drawn as arrows.
LearnThe WIP limit
How much work is allowed in the system at once — the counter-intuitive lever that shortens lead time without reducing throughput.
Learn