Productivity Trend measures whether the system is producing more usable output per unit input over time.
Productivity is not working harder.
Productivity is increasing conversion efficiency.
When productivity trend weakens, surplus shrinks, buffers thin, and constraints tighten.
What This Sensor Measures
Productivity Trend measures:
Output per input over time
Quality-adjusted output (usable outcomes)
Learning curve effects (does doing it repeatedly get easier)
Time-to-deliver trend
Waste and rework trend
How to Read This Sensor
Healthy signal
Output increases without proportional input increase
Quality stays stable or improves
Delivery cycles shorten
Rework declines
Surplus grows
Danger signal
More effort produces little improvement
Quality declines
Delivery cycles lengthen
Rework rises
Surplus disappears and maintenance becomes unaffordable
Thresholds
Level 1: Rising productivity
Efficiency improves, surplus expands
Level 2: Stable productivity
System holds steady, no major decay
Level 3: Declining productivity
More input needed for same output
Level 4: Stagnation with decay
Output flat while maintenance burden rises
Level 5: Productivity breakdown
System cannot sustain output, brittleness accelerates
Minimum Viable Test
Track one repeated workflow over 4–12 weeks:
Time taken
Errors/rework
Quality outcome
If cycles do not shorten and rework does not decline, productivity trend is not improving.
Repair Actions
Use Bottleneck Detector to find the limiter
https://edukatesg.com/planet-sensor-bottleneck/
Reduce leakage and rework loops
https://edukatesg.com/governance-sensor-leakage/
Invest in tools, training, and standardisation
Protect maintenance budgets so decay does not compound
https://edukatesg.com/production-sensor-maintenance/
Links
Production OS Sensors Directory
https://edukatesg.com/production-os-sensors/
Planet Sensor: Bottleneck Detector
https://edukatesg.com/planet-sensor-bottleneck/
Canonical Statement
Productivity Trend measures conversion efficiency. If productivity declines, surplus shrinks, constraints tighten, and long-run stability weakens.