Turnaround time (TAT) is the amount of time taken to complete a process or fulfill a request. The concept thus overlaps with

lead time A lead time is the latency between the initiation and completion of a process. For example, the lead time between the placement of an order and delivery of new cars by a given manufacturer might be between 2 weeks and 6 months, depending on vari ...

and can be contrasted with cycle time.

Meaning in computing

In computing, turnaround time is the total time taken between the submission of a program/process/thread/task (

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...

) for execution and the return of the complete output to the customer/user. It may vary for various programming languages depending on the developer of the software or the program. Turnaround time may simply deal with the total time it takes for a program to provide the required output to the user after the program is started. Turnaround time is one of the

metrics Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics In mathema ...

used to evaluate an operating system's

scheduling algorithms In computing, scheduling is the action of assigning ''resources'' to perform ''tasks''. The ''resources'' may be central processing unit, processors, telecommunications link, network links or expansion cards. The ''tasks'' may be thread (computer ...

. In case of batch systems, turnaround time will include time taken in forming batches, batch execution and printing results. With increasing

computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...

ization of analytical instruments the distinction between a computing context and a "non-computing" context is becoming semantic. An example of a "non-computing" context of turnaround time is the time a particular

analysis Analysis ( : analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (38 ...

in a

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...

, such as a

medical laboratory A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are conducted out on clinical specimens to obtain information about the health of a patient to aid in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Clinical Medical labor ...

, other commercial laboratories or a

public health laboratory Public health laboratories (PHLs) are governmental reference laboratories that protect the public against diseases and other health hazards. The 2005 International Health Regulations came into force in June 2007, with 196 binding countries that r ...

takes to result. Laboratories may publish an average turnaround time to inform their clients, e.g. a health care worker ordering the test, after what time a result can be expected. A prolonged turnaround time may give the requester a clue that a specimen was not received, that an analysis met with problems within the lab including that the result was unusual and the test was repeated for

quality control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach places ...

Comparisons with other metrics of time

Lead Time vs Turnaround Time: Lead Time is the amount of time, defined by the supplier or service provider, that is required to meet a customer request or demand. Lead-time is basically the time gap between the order placed by the customer and the time when the

customer In sales, commerce, and economics, a customer (sometimes known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient of a good, service, product or an idea - obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier via a financial transaction or exchange for ...

get the final delivery, on the other hand the Turnaround Time is in order to get a job done and deliver the output, once the job is submitted for processing center according to the customer request. Turnaround Time vs Response Time: Turnaround time is the amount of time elapsed from the time of submission to the time of completion whereas

response time Response time may refer to: *The time lag between an electronic input and the output signal which depends upon the value of passive components used. * Responsiveness, how quickly an interactive system responds to user input * Response time (biolog ...

is the average time elapsed from submission until the first response is produced. Turnaround Time vs Wait Time: Waiting time is amount of time a process has been waiting in the ready queue. Reasons of Delays: In case of warehouses, there are several reasons, due to which TAT can increase. First of all, if laborers or equipment are not working properly, and if the maximum efficiency could not be reached, the process would be delayed. Secondly, the infrastructure, improper infrastructure could be an obstacle for the TAT reduction.

References

Keeping productive can be hard if you aren't finish your task within Turnaround time
8 Key Influential Tactics For Being Productive and Effective At Work

"Difference between turn around time (TAT) and Waiting Time (WT) in CPU Scheduling"
Gate Exam Question Explained in www.byjus.com * * {{cite journal , title=Turnaround Time (TAT): Difference in Concept for Laboratory and Clinician , first1=Hara P. , last1=Pati , first2=Gurmeet , last2=Singh , journal=Indian J Hematol Blood Transfus , date=June 2014 , volume=30 , issue=2 , pages=81–84 , pmc=4022919 , pmid=24839360 , doi=10.1007/s12288-012-0214-3 Organizational performance management Software performance management

Meaning in computing

Comparisons with other metrics of time

See also

References