- Throughput
- The average output of a production process (machine, workstation, line or plant) per unit time, as defined by Hopp and Spearman and quoted by J.D.C. Little (2011).
- Work in process
- The inventory between the start and end points of a product routing: the jobs started but not yet finished (Hopp and Spearman, quoted by J.D.C. Little, 2011).
- Cycle time
- The time required to produce a part or complete a process, as timed by actual measurement (Lean Lexicon).
- Production lead time
- Also called throughput time: the time a product takes to move all the way through a process or value stream from start to finish (Lean Lexicon).
- Takt time
- Available production time divided by customer demand. The Lean Lexicon example: 480 minutes a day and 240 units demanded gives a takt of 2 minutes.
- Little's Law
- L = λW: the average number of items in a system equals the average arrival rate times the average time each item spends in the system (J.D.C. Little, 2011).
- Constraint
- The resource whose output governs the output of the whole system; the Theory of Constraints Institute's five focusing steps start by identifying it.
- Utilization (material)
- In AFS's takeoff method, the area of the finished pieces divided by the area of the sheets used, as a percent.
- Drop
- The unused remainder of a sheet or strip: leftover width beside the strips, or leftover length after the pieces are cut.
- First-pass yield
- Usable parts divided by total parts built in a run, as defined in ASSEMBLY magazine: the quality side of yield.
- Muda
- Any activity that consumes resources without creating value for the customer (Lean Lexicon).
