Pitch is a representation of takt image—a visual and often audible management time frame that lean practitioners use to pace and monitor value stream performance. It’s typically driven by, and linked to, a value stream or line’s pacemaker process.

Pitch performance is routinely tracked and reinforced with plan vs. actual charts (aka production analysis boards), digital displays, and lines that are “pulsed” or indexed every time interval.

The principle behind the math focuses on early identification and timely reaction to problems. Accordingly, pitch should be matched to the organization’s (hopefully, ever-improving) capability to react to problems. If pitch is too short, then it may not invite anything other than frustration. If pitch is too long, then problems will fester and grow before they are flagged.

Essentially, pitch’s takt image is a reflection of takt time and what we’ll call a “pace multiple.” The pace multiple is often, but not always, a release, conveyance, or shipment quantity. It is an oversimplification to say it is always a pack-out quantity, although that is a good place to start.

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