Every day, managers spend an hour reviewing task lists but can’t answer basic questions: How many tasks are processed daily? Where is the bottleneck? Who is overloaded? Without metrics, flow management is blind. In our practice, 80% of companies don’t even know their throughput and cycle time. Improving efficiency means measuring, visualizing, and optimizing workflows based on data. We are a team of certified specialists with 10+ years of experience who have implemented over 50 Bitrix24 tuning projects. Order an audit of your current flows to discover your team’s exact metrics. Contact us for a detailed discussion of your tasks.
Key Flow Metrics
Throughput — the number of tasks closed in a period. Measured in tasks per day or week. Shows real productivity. If throughput drops with an unchanged team composition, something is hindering work.
Cycle time — the time from a task entering the flow to its closure. Includes time in queue, assignment, and work. The lower the cycle time, the faster the team processes requests.
Lead time — the time from task creation by the requester to closure. Differs from cycle time by including the time before entering the flow.
Time in queue — how long a task waits for assignment. A high value indicates a lack of resources or uneven distribution.
WIP — the number of tasks in work simultaneously. Too high a WIP leads to context switching and reduced efficiency.
Common mistakes when setting up metrics
- Measuring only throughput, ignoring cycle time — they don’t see waiting time.
- Ignoring time in queue — they miss assignment bottlenecks.
- Not adjusting WIP limits — overload reduces productivity.
How to Measure Throughput in Bitrix24?
To measure throughput, we use standard Bitrix24 reports: task reports grouped by periods. If more precise analytics are needed, we set up data collection via the REST API. For example, for a logistics client, we built a dashboard based on an external BI system, allowing them to see throughput per hour. As defined by Wikipedia, throughput is the rate of production or processing. More details — Throughput.
Why Is WIP Important for Productivity?
WIP directly affects cycle time. If each employee keeps 5 tasks in work simultaneously, each task’s execution time increases by 40–60% due to context switching. We recommend setting a WIP limit equal to the number of active channels (usually 2–3 tasks per person).
How to Set Up a Throughput Dashboard: Step-by-Step
- Create a task report → select period (day/week/month).
- Add grouping by status (Closed/In progress) and close date.
- Set filters: exclude test tasks, select desired project.
- Save the report and add it to a work board as a chart.
- Automate updates via REST API if real-time data is required.
Identifying Bottlenecks
Bottlenecks are identified by a combination of metrics:
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Queue grows, throughput stable | Incoming flow exceeds capacity | Add participants or redirect tasks |
| Cycle time rises, throughput drops | Employees overloaded, many switches | Lower WIP limit |
| High time in queue for one task type | Shortage of specific specialists | Train additional employees |
| Uneven throughput by day | Peak load on certain days | Adjust shift distribution |
After analysis, we often find that 20% of employees process 80% of tasks — a sign of imbalance.
Example of Metrics Before and After Optimization
| Metric | Before optimization | After optimization |
|---|---|---|
| Throughput (tasks/week) | 180 | 220 |
| Cycle time (days) | 4 | 2.5 |
| WIP per employee | 15 | 3 |
| Time in queue (hours) | 8 | 3 |
How We Do It: Case Study
For a large IT company with 200 tasks per week, we conducted a flow audit. Initial data: throughput = 180 tasks/week, average cycle time = 4 days, WIP = 15 tasks per person. After setting up metrics and implementing a WIP limit (3 tasks per employee), after one month throughput rose to 220 tasks/week and cycle time dropped to 2.5 days. Key changes:
- Optimized task distribution via REST API — automatic load balancing.
- Set up a dashboard with current WIP and notifications when the limit is exceeded.
- Trained the team to read metrics and make decisions.
Result: throughput increased by 22%, waiting time halved.
Reports and Dashboards
We configure reports in Bitrix24:
- Flow dashboard — current state: tasks in queue, in progress, closed today. Updated in real time.
- Weekly report — throughput, average cycle time, participant load. Sent to the manager on schedule.
- SLA report — percentage of tasks completed within SLA. Detail by priority and task type.
- Participant report — individual statistics: number of closed tasks, average cycle time, percentage of overdue items.
Data-Driven Optimization
Based on metric analysis:
- Adjust WIP limits. If cycle time grows, reduce the maximum concurrent tasks per employee.
- Rebalance flows. If one flow is overloaded and another idle, reassign participants.
- Change assignment method. If round-robin gives uneven load, switch to load-based distribution.
- Add automation. Routine tasks that take a lot of time are candidates for templating or automation.
What the Work Includes
We provide a complete package:
- Audit of current flows: data collection, participant interviews, analysis of existing metrics.
- Metrics setup: throughput, cycle time, lead time, WIP, time in queue.
- Dashboard and report construction: real-time, weekly summaries, SLA monitoring, breach notifications.
- Bottleneck identification and optimization recommendations.
- Training for managers: reading metrics, data-driven decision making.
- Documentation of settings and processes.
- One month of post-implementation support.
Guarantees and Results
Our engineers are certified Bitrix24 specialists with 10+ years of experience. We have implemented over 50 flow optimization projects for companies in various industries. We guarantee transparent results: one month after setup, you’ll see throughput increase by 20–30% and cycle time decrease. Get a consultation during the audit stage — contact us to discuss your tasks in detail. With us, you can always order a pilot project.