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DevOps & Automation · Foundational

Lead Time for Changes

A DORA metric measuring the time from code being committed to that code running successfully in production.

Definition

Lead time reflects how efficiently a change flows through review, build, test, and release. Long lead times often point to manual approvals, slow tests, or large batches.

Example

A commit merged at 10:00 and live in production at 14:00 has a four-hour lead time.

Exam tip

Do not confuse lead time for changes (commit to production) with cycle time or ticket lead time in Kanban.

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