Lead Time Cards in ClickUp

Lead time cards in ClickUp help you understand how long it takes work to move from start to finish so you can improve delivery speed and optimize your processes.

This how-to guide explains what lead time cards are, how to open and read them, and how to use each metric to improve your teams performance.

What Are Lead Time Cards in ClickUp?

A lead time card is a visual summary of how long it takes for tasks to move through your workflow. In ClickUp, these cards show the total time between the first activity on a task and its completion, broken down by key metrics.

Lead time cards are available in the Lead Time view, where each card represents a specific grouping of tasks.

How ClickUp Groups Lead Time Cards

In the Lead Time view, ClickUp groups tasks into cards based on the settings you choose. Grouping helps you compare performance across different parts of your workspace.

Common grouping options in ClickUp

• Status: See lead times based on workflow stages.
• Assignee: Compare how long work takes per owner.
• Priority: Analyze whether high-priority tasks flow faster.
• Custom fields: Use your own fields to segment data.

Each card then aggregates lead time data for tasks in that group, giving you a focused snapshot of performance.

How to Open Lead Time Cards in ClickUp

To start using lead time cards inside ClickUp, open a workspace, folder, or list where you want to analyze performance, then add or switch to the Lead Time view.

1. Open the relevant space, folder, or list.

2. Add the Lead Time view if it is not already present.

3. Choose how you want to group tasks, such as by status or assignee.

4. Wait for the Lead Time view to load your groups as cards.

5. Click any lead time card to open its detailed metrics.

Every card in ClickUp shows a few key numbers on the front, and more detailed metrics when you expand it.

How to Read a Lead Time Card in ClickUp

When you open a card in ClickUp, you see multiple metrics that describe task duration and workflow efficiency. Understanding each metric helps you pinpoint bottlenecks.

Key metrics shown on ClickUp lead time cards

• Lead time: The total time from the first recorded action on a task until its completion.
• Active time: The time when the task was in progress, excluding periods of waiting.
• Wait time: The total time a task sat idle between steps.
• Task count: The number of tasks used to calculate the metrics on the card.

Lead time cards in ClickUp typically display averages, so each value represents the average for all tasks included in that group.

Understanding Lead Time in ClickUp

Lead time measures how long work takes from the moment someone first touches a task until it is done. In ClickUp, this includes both active work and waiting periods.

How ClickUp calculates lead time

For each task, ClickUp identifies:

1. Start: The first recorded activity on the task, such as a status change, comment, or time entry.

2. End: The moment the task is marked as done or reaches its final state.

3. Duration: The time between start and end, including all work and idle time.

Lead time cards in ClickUp then average this duration for all tasks in the cards group.

Understanding Active Time in ClickUp

Active time represents the amount of time tasks are being actively worked on. It removes waiting periods to highlight hands-on effort.

How ClickUp identifies active time

ClickUp looks for indicators that a task is in progress, such as:

• Status changes into in-progress stages.
• Recent comments or updates.
• Time tracking activity.

By comparing active time with total lead time, you can see how much of a tasks lifespan is spent on real work versus waiting. Lead time cards in ClickUp surface this ratio so you can find inefficiencies.

Understanding Wait Time in ClickUp

Wait time is the total period when tasks are not actively being worked on. In ClickUp, this is the difference between lead time and active time.

Common causes of wait time in ClickUp workflows

• Tasks stuck in review or approval statuses.
• Blocked tasks waiting on dependencies.
• Unassigned tasks waiting to be picked up.
• Items in backlog or holding queues.

If lead time cards in ClickUp show high wait time, focus on reducing handoff delays, clarifying ownership, and simplifying reviews.

Viewing Task Details from a Lead Time Card

Lead time cards in ClickUp are not just summaries; you can drill down into the underlying tasks to investigate outliers.

1. Open a lead time card from the Lead Time view.

2. Scroll through the list of tasks included in that card.

3. Click any task name to open its task view.

4. Review its history, comments, and status changes to understand why it took longer or shorter than average.

This workflow lets you move from high-level metrics to actionable insights without leaving ClickUp.

Best Practices for Using ClickUp Lead Time Cards

To get the most value from lead time cards in ClickUp, apply a few consistent practices.

Standardize your workflow in ClickUp

• Create clear statuses that reflect your process phases.
• Use consistent naming for in-progress and done statuses.
• Train your team to update statuses as work moves forward.

Use ClickUp lead time cards for continuous improvement

• Review cards on a regular cadence, such as weekly or biweekly.
• Compare groups to identify teams or steps with longer lead times.
• Focus first on reducing wait time to unlock faster delivery.

Over time, lead time cards in ClickUp become a key indicator of your workflow health and help guide process improvements.

Where to Learn More

For the official product-level reference on lead time cards, see the original documentation on the ClickUp Help Center: Lead time cards article.

If you need expert help designing metrics-driven workflows, you can work with consultants who specialize in productivity platforms and process optimization, such as Consultevo.

By regularly reviewing lead time cards in ClickUp, standardizing your workflow, and drilling into outlier tasks, you can shorten delivery times and make your teams more predictable and efficient.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

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