What is cycle time, meaning & definition?

The period required to complete one cycle of an operation; or to complete a function, job, or task from start to finish. Cycle time is used in differentiating total duration of a process from its run time.

Cycle time is used differently by various professionals.

For Accountant , accounting cycle is transaction cycle from journal entry to final accounts.

for Sales, starting negotiation with customer to closing the deal.

for production, a time to complete one production run.