CycleBenchBY SMARTFACTFREE TIME STUDY ON A PHONE
Scan the station and activity, tap each cycle or phase as it happens and record interruptions with a reason. Review the observations, then download a CSV and a PDF report. Your study stays on your device. No account required.
Free to use. No account, email address or trial. Works offline once prepared.
Selected mean · 4 cycles
10.500 s
Cycle 2 · gross
12.000 s
Illustrative values from a fictional study, not a measurement. A mean of observed cycles is not a labour standard.
For supervisors, process and manufacturing engineers, lean practitioners and workshop owners timing repeated work or a changeover at a workstation, with a phone in hand.
A USEFUL STARTING POINT
A phone stopwatch records laps, but the station, the activity and the reason for every stop end up on a separate sheet that someone has to type up. CycleBench keeps them together. Each study belongs to a station and an activity, each interruption has a reason, and every gap in timing stays visible. You take away a complete record of what you observed, not a column of laps.
FROM FIRST TAP TO REPORT
Choose repeated cycles or changeover phases. Scan the station and activity codes with the phone camera or a keyboard scanner, or type them. A scan only fills in the context; it never starts the clock.
Press Start, then Next cycle at each repeat and Finish after the last. For a changeover, name each phase as you go. Start and end an interruption with a typed or scanned reason.
Check every observation, exclude a false tap with a written reason and see any uncertain interval. Then download the observations CSV, a PDF report or a project backup.
WHAT IT DOES
Repeated-cycle mode times each cycle and reports the mean of the cycles you include. Changeover mode times named phases and the whole changeover, from the last-good boundary you declare to the first-good boundary.
Each interruption is timed with its reason inside the cycle or phase where it happened. It is never silently subtracted from the gross time or added to it.
If the page is hidden, the screen locks or the clocks disagree, the unfinished interval becomes uncertain. It is never counted as zero or filled in. Resume with a fresh boundary when you are ready.
Exclude an accidental tap or an unrepresentative cycle by writing why. The raw duration stays in the record, and the summary shows how many observations it includes.
Read Code 128, QR, Data Matrix, EAN and UPC codes with the camera, or use a keyboard barcode scanner. Typing a code works everywhere too.
Download a CSV of every observation and interruption in milliseconds, A4 PDF reports and a project backup. Prepare the tool while connected and it keeps working without a signal.
A new study is temporary work in this tab's memory, so closing or refreshing the page can lose it. Save on this device keeps the project in this browser between visits, for anyone using the same browser profile. Neither is a cloud backup, so download a project backup to keep a copy or move to another device. A saved study that was running reopens with its unfinished interval marked uncertain, never with the clock still going. Nothing you record is uploaded.
USED IN PRODUCTION
CycleBench shows where the time goes while you watch. Two SmartFACT services handle what repeats every day: making an improved method the one each unit follows, and getting materials to the line before anyone waits for them. Both are in early access, with scope agreed at onboarding. CycleBench does not send observations to either service.
Early accessWhen a study shows a better way to do the job, WorkSteps makes it the method each unit follows. Describe in plain English when each approved step applies. Approved rules select the steps from each unit's options, ask for the evidence you specify and keep a record of the completed work.
Early accessWhen the interruptions you record are waits for materials, RefillFlow turns an empty container at the line into one refill request. Stores gets a printed ticket and a board to work from, and the line records what arrived. Approved plain English rules set the stores queue, priority and escalation.
BEFORE YOU START
Yes. Studies, scanning, saving, recovery and every download are free, with no account, email address, trial or watermark. The limits on studies and observations are the same for everyone.
A phone, tablet or computer with a recent browser. A camera or a keyboard barcode scanner is optional: you can type station, activity and reason codes instead. To scan them, print them as Code 128 or QR, for example on FactoryCards. Keep the screen on and the page in view while you time.
Once prepared. Open CycleBench while connected and choose Prepare for offline use. It downloads the tool, the camera decoder and the report assets, not your work. Timing, saving and downloads then work without a connection. A first visit needs the internet.
Durations are whole milliseconds from the browser's steady clock, shown to three decimal places. That precision is not the observer's accuracy: each time depends on when you tap. Scans choose the context and never mark a boundary, because camera focus and decoding add a variable delay.
CycleBench records what one observer sees, on one device, while the page stays open and in view. If the screen locks, the page is hidden or the clocks disagree, the unfinished interval is marked uncertain and nothing is measured until you resume with a new boundary. The tool does not keep the screen awake. It does not monitor machines, read sensors or video, calculate OEE, rate or rank people, set labour standards or feed payroll. One study runs at a time. A project holds up to 100 studies, 1,000 observations per study, 3,000 observations and 5,000 interruptions in total, and 100 interruptions per observation. Each observation lasts up to 24 hours, labels up to 128 characters and review notes up to 500. Station, activity and reason lists cannot be imported, and the tool does not print code sheets.
Your study stays in this browser. It starts as temporary work in the tab's memory; Save on this device keeps it between visits. Nothing you record is uploaded, and no account or contact details are needed. The camera opens only when you press its button in a scan field, and barcodes are decoded on the device. Google Analytics is optional and loads only after you accept; it never receives codes, reasons, timings or notes. Use Analytics settings to change your choice; see /privacy/.
ONE SMALL JOB, DONE WELL
Open the free tool, or start with the built-in example.
THE SMARTFACT SUITE
Automate factory decisions with rules you describe in plain English. Explore focused SmartFACT services, plus free tools for everyday checks.
Early accessSuggested next stepTurn plain English rules into automatic step selection for each unit, with required evidence and a record of completed work.
Explore WorkSteps ↗
Early accessDescribe label rules in plain English. Automatically select layouts, resolve customer codes and check each job before printing.
Explore LabelRules ↗
Early accessTurn plain English component rules into automatic kit checklists, then check scans against the expected parts and quantities.
Explore KitProof ↗
Early accessApply approved product rules and calculations automatically to turn dimensions and options into manufacturing requirements.
Register early-access interest ↗
Early accessMaintain configuration in Google Sheets and make it available as structured data your applications can query.
Register early-access interest ↗
Early accessTurn plain English rules into automatic order checks and destination selection, with controlled production release.
Register early-access interest ↗
Early accessScan the work order and the parcel choice to book the courier and print the labels. Approved plain English rules recommend or choose the parcel.
Explore ParcelOffice ↗Early accessScan an empty container to send the right refill request to stores. Approved plain English rules set the stores queue, priority, ticket printer and escalation.
Explore RefillFlow ↗
Early accessLabel each offcut, find a suitable length before cutting new stock and record what you used. Approved plain English rules decide what to keep and where it goes.
Explore RemnantRack ↗
Free toolSee the text and key events your keyboard scanner sends. Compare them with the value you expected.
Test a scanner ↗
Free toolPrint a known PDF, measure its reference marks and compare scans from the printed codes.
Check a print ↗
Free toolCreate 100 × 50 mm bin and rack cards with Code 128 or QR, from one record or a CSV.
Make bin cards ↗
Free toolCount stock by location with a barcode scanner, compare it with a stock file and export the results. No account needed.
Start a free count ↗
Free toolSee exactly what a scanned barcode contains, with hidden characters shown and GS1 fields, check digits and dates explained. No account needed.
Inspect a barcode ↗
Free toolScan a reference and each label, see an exact match or the first difference, and download the results. No account needed.
Start a free comparison ↗
Free toolScan an item or location, note what needs attention, print a review tag and keep a review list. No account needed.
Make a free tag ↗
Free toolLoad your own parts and locations CSV, scan a code and see every location it lists. No account needed.
Start a free lookup ↗
Free toolCheck cartons, pallets or serial numbers against a list with a phone or scanner and see what is missing. No account needed.
Start a free check ↗
Free toolCheck CSV and JSON files exactly as written, preview a column mapping and compare two versions by key. No account needed.
Check a file free ↗Free toolTime work cycles and changeovers on a phone, record interruptions with reasons and download the results. No account needed.
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HelpStep-by-step guides and interactive demonstrations for the SmartFACT suite. Read the instructions, watch a task or practise with real product screens and sample data.
Open SmartFACT Help ↗