Cumulative Flow diagram

Owned by Couthaïer Farfra
Dec 18, 2024
6 min read

The Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) allows you to visualize the evolution of tickets over time through the different stages of a workflow. Each colored section represents a step in the flow, such as "To Do", "In Progress", "In Review", or "Done". The CFD shows how many tickets are at each stage at any given time, allowing you to track the progress of work and spot bottlenecks that could be slowing flow.

In Wiveez, the Cumulative Flow Diagram allows you to visualize the following information:

  1. The different stages of the flow: Each stage of the flow is represented by a colored strip, stacked on top of each other. The height of each strip indicates the number of tickets in that stage at any given time.

  2. The evolution of the number of tickets in each stage: The width of each band over time shows how the number of tickets in a stage changes. A rapid increase in the width of a stripe can signal a bottleneck where too many tickets are accumulated in a specific step.

  3. Workflow throughput: By observing ticket transitions between stages over time, one can identify the throughput with which tickets move from one stage to another.

Operation and Usefulness

The Cumulative Flow Diagram is essential for:

  1. Track work progress: CFD allows you to see at a glance how tickets progress through the different stages of the workflow, visualizing the amount of work at each stage.

  2. Identify bottlenecks: By observing areas where the colored bands widen or get stuck, we can spot bottlenecks in certain stages of the flow. For example, if an "In Progress" stage balloons while "Done" remains stable, this may indicate that there are too many tickets being processed and the team is unable to complete them efficiently.

  3. Assess flow stability: Stable flow is represented by bands that progress smoothly and balancedly, showing that tickets move smoothly from one stage to the next. Irregular or stagnant tapes can signal problems with capacity management or task prioritization.

How to read this graph?

The Cumulative Flow Diagram in Wiveez consists of colored strips stacked on top of each other, representing the different stages of the workflow and the evolution of tickets through those stages.

  1. Horizontal axis (x): This axis represents the time, generally in days or weeks, from the start of the project or Sprint until its end. This allows you to see how tickets progress over time.

  2. Vertical axis (y): This axis represents the number of tickets present in the flow at a given time. The higher the band is on this axis, the more tickets there are in the corresponding stage.

  3. Stacked colored strips:

    • Each band represents a step in the workflow (for example: “To Do”, “In Progress”, “Review”, “Done”). The height of the band at any given time shows how many tickets are in that stage.

    • The width of the bands shows the volume of work accumulated in each stage. If a band widens significantly, it may indicate that tickets are piling up and that there is a problem at this stage.

  4. Transitions between stages:

    • The chart shows how tickets move from one stage to another. For example, if the bands representing "To Do" and "In Progress" decrease while the stripes for "Done" increase, this shows that work is progressing well and tickets are being completed smoothly.

Patterns to observe:

  1. Bottlenecks (widening band):

    • If a specific band (for example, "In Progress") expands significantly compared to other stages, this shows that a large number of tickets are stuck in that stage, signaling a bottleneck. The team must then investigate to understand why this step is taking longer than expected.

  2. Stable flow (bands progressing regularly):

    • A stable flow is represented by bands that progress in a regular and balanced manner, showing that tickets move smoothly from one stage to the next. This shows that the process is well managed and tickets are being processed at a consistent rate.

  3. Backlog that accumulates (“To do” band that widens):

    • If the band representing the Backlog ("To Do") widens over time, this may indicate that too many tickets are being added to the Backlog without being addressed quickly. This shows that the flow is not well balanced, and that the processing capacity of the team should be adjusted.

  4. Finished which stagnates:

    • If the "Completed" band remains relatively flat over a long period of time, while other bands (like "In Progress") continue to bloat, this shows that the team is unable to complete tickets. It may be necessary to improve processes or adjust priorities to move work toward completion.

Example:

Let's imagine a Cumulative Flow Diagram in Wiveez for a software development project:

  • Swelling backlog: If the band representing the Backlog (“To do”) is growing day by day, this means that more and more tickets are being added without being processed. This may indicate a prioritization problem or work overload for the team.

  • Bottleneck in "In Progress": If the "In Progress" band (tickets in development) becomes much wider than the other bands, it means that too many tickets are stuck in this stage, signaling a bottleneck in "In Progress" bottleneck in the development process.

  • Stability of flow: If all the bands are progressing smoothly and the "Done" band is gradually widening, this shows that the work is moving through the different stages smoothly, without major obstacles. This means that the team manages its workflow well.

Usefulness in Wiveez

The Cumulative Flow Diagram in Wiveez allows teams to:

  • Visually track the progress of tickets through each stage of the workflow, understanding how tickets accumulate or move between stages over time.

  • Identify bottlenecks in the process. Excessive accumulation of tickets in a particular stage shows a blockage that needs to be resolved to smooth the flow.

  • Evaluate flow stability and capacity: A stable flow, with bands progressing steadily, indicates effective ticket management. Si les bandes deviennent irrégulières ou stagnantes, cela signale un besoin d’intervention.

Chart

Filters

Detailed ticket analysis

Wiveez allows the user to analyze in detail the performance of each ticket in the flow, by displaying the list of tickets associated with a point and displaying the details of the Flow Metrics of a ticket.

Analyze with our AI Alice

Wiveez provides you with its AI, named Alice, to help you analyze graphs.

  1. Click on the Alice icon to start analyzing your graph;

  2. A page is displayed containing an analysis of the health of your graph and tips for improvement;

  3. You can save this analysis in a PDF file;

  4. You can copy/paste the analysis into another type of document.

As long as no modification has been made to the chart filters or no data refresh has been initiated, your analysis remains accessible.