Queue time
Also known as Waiting time, Idle time
Definition
Queue time is the elapsed period when work is ready to move but is waiting for a person, system, approval, capacity slot, or dependency. It is a component of total cycle time and often reveals hidden delivery constraints.
Where queues appear
A pull request can wait for an initial review, a second approval, a build agent, a security check, or a deployment window. Work can also wait before implementation when a team has more ready tickets than available capacity. Each queue has a different remedy.
Queue time and cycle time
Cycle time describes the whole elapsed interval from a defined start to a defined finish. Queue time is the waiting portion inside that interval. If a change is actively edited for two hours but takes three days to merge, most of its cycle time is queue time.
Reduce the constraint
Measure queue time by stage and review the distribution. Smaller batches can reduce handoff cost. Clear ownership can shorten approval waits. More parallel work can make queues worse, so inspect work in progress before adding another process.
Use context
Weave connects queue patterns to repository, team, and change context. That helps a manager test whether a policy change reduced waiting without hiding a quality or reliability cost.
How this relates to Weave
Weave makes waiting stages easier to investigate by connecting pull request timestamps, review events, and delivery signals. Teams can see where work waits and which queues are responsible for the longest delays.
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