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Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)

A Cumulative Flow Diagram is a visual chart that summarizes and monitors project flow by showing how many work items are in each workflow state over time. It provides a quick snapshot of overall progress at a given point and is mainly used for higher-level project or release status, not day-to-day sprint updates.

Key Points

  • Displays cumulative counts of items in each state (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done) as stacked bands over time.
  • Reveals flow health by highlighting WIP levels, throughput trends, and lead time patterns.
  • Widening bands indicate bottlenecks; smooth, parallel bands suggest stable flow.
  • Best for project or release oversight and forecasting, rather than daily sprint tracking.

Example

A Kanban team tracks To Do, In Progress, Review, and Done on a CFD updated weekly. Mid-release, the Review band widens while Done flattens, signaling a bottleneck in reviews. The team adds a reviewer and sets a WIP limit on In Progress. Over the next two weeks the Review band stabilizes and throughput improves, allowing the team to forecast the release date with greater confidence.

PMP Example Question

Which tool should an agile project manager use to visualize cumulative work across workflow states and detect bottlenecks at the project level?

  1. Cumulative Flow Diagram
  2. Sprint Burndown Chart
  3. Velocity Chart
  4. Precedence Network Diagram

Correct Answer: A — Cumulative Flow Diagram

Explanation: A CFD shows cumulative counts of items in each state over time, making bottlenecks and flow stability visible at a higher level.

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