The Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) shows the total amount of work in each workflow state over a period of time. When used correctly, it helps track changes and identify and unblock bottlenecks.
The CFD is available on the Reports page and on Iteration and Epic detail pages.
Chart Mechanics
The CFD is organized into three major groups. Each of these are expected to behave differently. It’s important to understand their roles to get the most out of the CFD.
- Yellow Area: Unstarted
- Blue Area: In Progress
- Green Area: Done
Measure Cycle Time and Velocity
Average Cycle Time
Average Cycle Time can be measured by drawing a straight line from anywhere on the top of the In Progress (blue) area to where it meets the Done (green) area. The length of this line represents the average time it takes a story to move from In Progress to Done.
Average Velocity
Average Velocity can be determined by drawing a diagonal between the dotted In Progress line and the Cycle Time line. The slope of the line shows the pace of work, and can be used to calculate velocity.
Using Cumulative Flow Diagram
- A common way to read a Cumulative Flow Diagram is to look at the slopes of the “completed” chart area vs the slope of the “ready to start” area. If the “ready to start” slope is steeper than “completed,” your backlog is growing
- The Iteration Burndown Chart is a graphical representation and projection of the remaining unfinished work in that Iteration
- The Epic Burndown Chart is a graphical representation of an Epic’s number of Stories over time, grouped by Workflow State