What measure indicates the time a job remains at a work center after an operation is completed until it moves to the next operation?

• A. Velocity
• B. Wall-2-wall inventory
• C. Wait time
• D. U-lines

Answer: (C)

The measure captures the idle period a job experiences between operations. After finishing one operation, the job may sit at the work center waiting for the next operation to begin due to capacity constraints, setup, or material availability. This waiting time is what we’re measuring when we talk about wait time. It’s a key portion of lead time and directly impacts flow and overall efficiency, since reducing this idle time helps move jobs through the plant more quickly with less accumulated WIP.

Velocity describes a rate, not this specific idle interval; wall-to-wall inventory refers to the amount of stock spread across a space, not the time a job spends waiting; and U-lines are a layout concept, not a measure of time between operations.