Read queues as schedule feedback
Use queues, wait time, and work in progress as evidence that a schedule needs adjustment.
Principle: A queue is the schedule telling you where capacity is mistimed. Flow metrics are useful because they expose what a schedule hides. A roster may show four people on a shift, but the queue shows whether those four people were enough at the moment and skill where demand arrived. Work in progress tells you how much work is waiting or active. Throughput tells you how much leaves the system. Cycle time and wait time tell you what the customer or internal requester experiences. Little's Law is a reminder that waiting time is tied to work in progress and completion…
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