National Guard

Black Belt Training

Module 17

Takt Time
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CPI Roadmap – Measure

8-STEP PROCESS
6. See
1.Validate 2. Identify 3. Set 4. Determine 5. Develop 7. Confirm 8. Standardize
Counter-
the Performance Improvement Root Counter- Results Successful
Measures
Problem Gaps Targets Cause Measures & Process Processes
Through

Define Measure Analyze Improve Control

TOOLS
•Process Mapping
ACTIVITIES
• Map Current Process / Go & See •Process Cycle Efficiency/TOC
• Identify Key Input, Process, Output Metrics •Little’s Law
• Develop Operational Definitions •Operational Definitions
• Develop Data Collection Plan •Data Collection Plan
• Validate Measurement System •Statistical Sampling
• Collect Baseline Data •Measurement System Analysis
• Identify Performance Gaps •TPM
• Estimate Financial/Operational Benefits •Generic Pull
• Determine Process Stability/Capability •Setup Reduction
• Complete Measure Tollgate •Control Charts
•Histograms
•Constraint Identification
•Process Capability 2

Note: Activities and tools vary by project. Lists provided here are not necessarily all-inclusive. UNCLASSIFIED / FOUO
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Objectives

 Understand the following:

– Takt Time
– Theoretical minimum staffing levels
– Takt Time, Cycle Time Bar Charts
– How all of these concepts assist in
understanding and improving a process

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Definition of Takt Time

 Time required to produce a component or set of
components to meet customer demand

Operating Time
Takt Time =
Customer Requirements

 Subject to change – depending on demand from

the customer
 Determines rate of production
 Key to determining resource requirements
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Takt Time Example – Step 1

Step 1: Determine available time

 Aircrew Flight Equipment (AFE) has 1 hour a day to test life

vests
52 (weeks) * 5 (days/week) * 1 hour = 260 hours

 Convert to minutes
260 hours * 60 minutes/hour = 15,600 minutes

Answer: 15,600 minutes is the total available operating time

per year

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Takt Time Example – Step 2

 Step 2: Determine Customer Requirement

– Average daily customer demand
– Get this anyway you can
• Advance orders
• Forecasts
• Historical data
• Best guess!
– For this example, AFE has 3,120 life vests to maintain
3,120 units per year is the customer requirement

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Takt Time Example – Step 3

 Divide operating time by demand

15600 minutes/year divided by 3,120 units/year

 Takt time = 5 minutes (300 seconds)

 This is the time that each process step CANNOT

exceed in order to meet customer demand using
single piece flow!

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Takt Time vs. Cycle Time

 Cycle time is the time for an operator to do a prescribed

task and return to his or her original stance
 Don’t confuse cycle time and Takt Time!!

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS QUOTE ??

“Those people have Takt time down to a science! Their Takt time
is 54 seconds. They make a car in 54 seconds and every step in
the process takes 54 seconds. And they have a plan to reduce
their Takt time to 52 seconds through constantly improving every
job! Amazing!!!”

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Takt Time & Theoretical Minimum Staffing

If we:
• Understand the Total Cycle Time required to
produce a unit, and we have
• Calculated the Takt Time of this unit

 We can calculate the theoretical minimum staffing

required. This is calculated as:

TOTAL CYCLE TIME

= MINIMUM STAFF REQUIRED
TAKT TIME

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Theoretical Minimum Staffing - Example

If the Total Cycle Time of all the operators combined =
720 seconds
AND
The Takt Time is 300 seconds

WHAT IS THE MINIMUM STAFFING REQUIREMENT

FOR LIFE VESTS IN AFE?

720 sec/300 sec = 2.4 …so 3 People

In your experience, what are some of the practical issues
that make it difficult to hit this minimum staffing??
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Cycle Time Bar Charts

Takt Time – Cycle Time Bar Charts enable us to visualize a
production line with data and determine some of its
operating characteristics
Operator Cycle Time in
Seconds/Part
Let’s look at a sample chart
80 70
Takt Time = 60 Sec
60
45
40
40 30

20 15

0
Oper.1 Oper.2 Oper.3 Oper.4 Oper.5
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Cycle Time Bar Chart - After

Operator Cycle Time in
Seconds/Part

80
Takt Time = 60 Sec
60 60 60
60

40
20
20

0
Oper.1 Oper.2 Oper.3 Oper.4
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Cycle Time Bar Chart - Final

Operator Cycle Time in
Seconds/Part

80
Takt Time = 60 Sec
60 60 60
60

40

20

0
Oper.1 Oper.2 Oper.3

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Takeaways

 Takt Time is based on customer demand – it is

the time in which a task must be completed to
meet the customer requirements
 Cycle time is the time it takes to actually
complete the task
 Use takt time and cycle time to determine
theoretical minimum staffing levels
 Visually display staffing levels using Cycle Time
Bar Charts to help improve the process

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What other comments or questions

do you have?

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