Lead time
The total elapsed time from when a work item is requested to when it is delivered, including any time spent waiting before work begins.
What it means
Lead time differs from cycle time by including the waiting period before work starts, from the moment a request or idea enters the backlog. It reflects the full customer-perceived wait, not just active work time.
Long lead times with short cycle times usually indicate a queueing problem: work sits untouched in the backlog rather than taking long to execute once picked up.
Common mistakes
Reducing lead time is often a better customer-facing goal than reducing cycle time alone, since customers experience the full wait, not just the active development window.
Example
A feature request waits five weeks in the backlog before a two-day cycle time, giving a total lead time of over five weeks.