Mean Time to Close (MTTC)
Definition
The average elapsed time between the date a finding is formally reported and the date remediation is verified as complete. MTTC is one of the primary metrics for measuring audit programme effectiveness and the health of the remediation process.
- Measures
- Time from finding reported to remediation verified
- Used for
- Audit programme effectiveness tracking
- Metric type
- Process health indicator, not a compliance score
Common questions
Why track MTTC separately from the number of open findings?+
A low open-findings count can hide a slow remediation process if new findings are simply added at the same rate old ones close, so MTTC captures how quickly the organisation actually resolves issues rather than just the current backlog size.
What can cause MTTC to rise even when audit quality improves?+
More rigorous audits often surface more complex or cross-departmental findings that legitimately take longer to remediate, so a rising MTTC should be read alongside finding severity and complexity, not treated as a standalone red flag.
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