WordNet
n. time need to prepare a vessel or ship for a return trip [syn: turnaround]
Wikipedia
In general, turnaround time (TAT) means the amount of time taken to fulfill a request. The concept thus overlaps with lead time and can be contrasted with cycle time.
In computing, turnaround time is the total time taken between the submission of a program/process/thread/task ( Linux) for execution and the return of the complete output to the customer/user. It may vary for various programming languages depending on the developer of the software or the program. Turnaround time may simply deal with the total time it takes for a program to provide the required output to the user after the program is started.
Turnaround time is one of the metrics used to evaluate an operating system's scheduling algorithms.
In case of batch systems, turnaround time will include time taken in forming batches, batch execution and printing results.
With increasing computerization of analytical instruments the distinction between a computing context and a "non-computing" context is becoming semantic. An example of a "non-computing" context of turnaround time is the time a particular analysis in a laboratory, such as a medical laboratory, other commercial laboratories or a public health laboratory takes to result. Laboratories may publish an average turnaround time to inform their clients, e.g. a health care worker ordering the test, after what time a result can be expected. A prolonged turnaround time may give the requester a clue that a specimen was not received, that an analysis met with problems within the lab including that the result was unusual and the test was repeated for quality control.
Usage examples of "turnaround time".
The turnaround time for ships and for air support would have been shortest on the Dover-Calais axis.
Even if their contents were desperately important, getting them into the hands of their recipients an hour or two sooner wasn't going to have any significant effect on the turnaround time for a decision loop a dozen light-years or so across.
No, I'm not happy that the woman who killed him will do hardly more than turnaround time in a high-class cage.
I have no idea how long the turnaround time is at War House, in times like these, but I'm sure things are prioritized by importance.
The turnaround time for dispatches would be even longer for the Peeps.
The Star Kingdom of Manticore's control of the Manticore Worm Hole Junction gave it an enormous advantage in terms of turnaround time on any message to the Solarian League, and on something like this, the Manties would have exploited it to the maximum.
It would have led to a whole line of evolution that would have seen commercially viable hypersonic vehicles by the end of the sixtiesNew York to Tokyo in two or three hours, say, with the same payload and turnaround time of an old 747.
It may be enough if we continue to exploit it aggressively, especially in view of the long turnaround time on any data or equipment flow between the League and the Peeps, and BuWeaps and the WDB hope to do just that.
Or the battle could be taking place across lag distances where the turnaround time on transmissions just makes it impractical.
But that meant that there'd be a two-day minimum turnaround time for important signals.