The Anatomy of Delay: Active Work vs. Wait Time

Total Flow Time 20 Days
Flow Efficiency 30% (6 Active Days)
Active Time
Wait Time
In a typical enterprise value stream, Flow Efficiency rarely exceeds 25%. The vast majority of a feature's life cycle is spent in wait states—awaiting requirements, code reviews, and QA handoffs—rather than in active development.
Data sources: Scrum.org, Enji.ai