Supply Chain · Logistics · Component
The lead time record
Actual times with their spread rather than the quoted average — because variability is what costs money.
The deliverable
What it is
A reliable three-week delivery can be planned around. An unpredictable one-to-three-week delivery forces inventory against the worst case, which costs considerably more.
Quoted lead times describe intent. Only measured ones describe what the organisation can promise.
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 actual times
Measured lead time per route or supplier.
3 attributes: Actual lead time · Route or supplier · Observations
LearnThe variability
How much the time varies, which is the number that actually matters.
3 attributes: Spread · Upper percentile · Trend
LearnThe segments
Where within the journey the time and the variability actually accumulate.
3 attributes: Segment · Segment time · Segment variability
Learn
Report the spread alongside the average. An average with no spread invites planning that fails regularly.
The other components in logistics
The network
Where things are stored and moved, and how far that is from demand — the design that sets the cost floor.
LearnThe cost per movement
What it costs to move a unit, by mode and by leg, including the handling that does not appear on a freight invoice.
Learn