Follow one item from start to finish
Business processes often spend more time waiting than being worked. Trace an order, request, invoice, ticket or document from arrival to completion and record each active step and queue.
A process with 45 minutes of labour can still have a five-day lead time if it waits in several inboxes. That is why reducing task time alone may barely change the customer-visible duration.
Identify handoffs and service windows
Each handoff introduces a queue, a notification and the possibility that required information is missing. Document who receives the item, what makes it ready, what schedule they work to and what happens when it is rejected or returned.
If a formal service level exists, use its actual definition. Some measure elapsed hours, some business hours, and some stop the clock while awaiting customer information.
Measure lead time and touch time separately
Lead time answers how long the process takes end to end. Touch time answers how much active effort is consumed. Both matter, but they support different decisions about staffing, customer promises and process improvement.