Throughput

September 5, 2025
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What is Throughput?

Throughput is a measure of the amount of work a system, process, or team can complete within a given period. In project management, it typically refers to the number of tasks, units, or deliverables finished in a set timeframe. This metric enables organizations to evaluate productivity, identify bottlenecks, and assess their overall efficiency. Throughput is crucial in agile and lean environments, where continuous improvement and rapid delivery are primary objectives.

Rather than focusing on how long it takes to complete one item, throughput tracks the volume of work done over time. Project teams often express it in terms like “tasks per week” or “stories per sprint.” By measuring it consistently, teams can forecast future capacity and make better resource and planning decisions.

Key Points

  • Throughput tracks completed work over a defined period, not time spent on individual tasks.
  • It is a performance metric used to understand team output and operational efficiency.
  • Measuring it helps teams set realistic expectations and identify areas for improvement.
  • Higher throughput can indicate improved productivity, but only when quality remains consistent.
  • Teams often use it in conjunction with cycle time and work-in-progress limits in agile or lean methodologies.

Related Terms

  • Cycle time measures how long a task takes from start to finish, providing a time-based view compared to throughput’s volume-based approach.
  • Work-in-progress (WIP) limits control the number of tasks teams work on, which can directly impact throughput.
  • Lead time captures the total time from task request to delivery, providing another lens through which to assess process efficiency.
  • Velocity in agile frameworks refers to the amount of work completed in a sprint, which is closely related to throughput.
  • Capacity planning uses throughput data to estimate the amount of work a team can handle in future periods.

Throughput: Example

A software development team tracks their completed user stories at the end of every sprint. In the last four sprints, they delivered an average of 20 user stories per sprint. This number becomes their baseline throughput. If they begin completing only 15 stories per sprint, it could signal an issue such as team overload, scope creep, or technical debt. Analyzing this trend helps the team respond appropriately.

Throughput: Best Practices

  • Track throughput consistently over time to spot trends and avoid misleading spikes or drops.
  • Pair throughput with quality metrics to ensure faster delivery does not compromise outcomes.
  • Use visual management tools, such as Kanban boards, to monitor workflow and support improvements.
  • Limit work-in-progress to avoid multitasking and improve focus, which can raise throughput.
  • Review throughput in retrospective meetings to guide data-driven process adjustments.

Additional Resources

Throughput - Agile Practice Guide     Throughput - Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time

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