The document provides an introduction to cumulative flow diagrams (CFDs), which are a visualization tool used in Lean/Agile software development to track the status of work items over time. It explains that CFDs show work items moving through different workflow states like "to do", "in progress", and "done" to provide insight into metrics like throughput, work in progress, and cycle times. Examples of CFDs are shown tracking work items in a Kanban system over the course of a day and for a Scrum team over multiple sprints.

1. Yuval Yeret
Agile Coach @ Agilesparks
yuval@agilesparks.com
Mobile: 054-4802458

2. Brief Intro
AgileSparks is an elite team focused entirely on helping
companies improve their product development
operations, by leveraging Lean/Agile/Scrum thinking
and techniques.
Yuval Yeret – Lean/Agile Consultant/Coach, coming
from R&D leadership background, specializing in
scaling agile through Lean.
Find more about me at
http://www.linkedin.com/in/yuvalyeret, my google
profile

3. Lets start with a classic
burndown/burnup chart
Burndown / Burnup
120 What’s wrong here?
Working software only towards
100
the end of the iteration/project
80 So?
Risk of missing the iteration…
60 DONE (BURNUP)
Work is not spread evenly,
ACTUAL REMAINING EFFORT
bottlenecks PLANNED REMAINING EFFORT
40
We call it “Scrumfall”
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Time

4. So what’s the difference?
So we want to get to this…
Notice how the done work is
spread more evenly
120
This reduces risk due to
100
leftovers,
Much more effective and
sustainable load for everyone,
80
And allowing shorter sprints if DONE (BURNUP)
needed
60 ACTUAL REMAINING
EFFORT
PLANNED REMAINING
EFFORT
40
20
Great
How do I do it?
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

5. Keys to steady burnup
 Effectively sized and testable stories
 Allow finishing work end to end quickly
 Focus on few stories at a time, rather than work on too
much at once

6. How to make this happen?
 Get the Product Owner to provide INVEST stories
 Provide more visibility to WHERE work is before its
DONE
 Manage the work in progress to drive focus

7. How do we Visualize the work Wow!
What’s that?
This is called Cumulative Flow
status in more depth?
Diagrams
120
100
Introduced by Lean Thought
Leaders Don Reinertsen and
80
David Anderson
TODO
60
WORK IN PROGRESS
DONE (BURNUP)
40
The idea is to visualize where
20
the features/stories are in the
0
workflow across time
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

8. How do we Visualize the work
status in more depth?
120
100
80
TODO
60
WORK IN PROGRESS
DONE (BURNUP)
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

9. TO DO IN PROGRESS DONE
In In Mush
on
El bar bar
ad
In Mush El
on ad
bar
Mush El
on ad

10. TO DO IN PROGRESS DONE
1 8 1

11. TO DO IN PROGRESS DONE
1 8 1

12. TO IN PROGRESS DONE
DO
1 8 1

15. So a cumulative flow is built of snapshots of
the board summary per day
120
100
80
TODO
60
WORK IN PROGRESS
DONE (BURNUP)
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

16. And provides a LOT of data
120
100
80
TODO
60 Mean Cycle Time
WORK IN PROGRESS
W
DONE (BURNUP)
40
I
P
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

17. Now, how can we get more details?
 Lets dive into the workflow

18. 120
100
80
TODO
60 CODING
TESTING
DONE (BURNUP)
40
Wide means lots of WIP
Means problems finishing
20 work
OR
Next stage cannot deal
0 with work now
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

19. http://agileanalysis.blogspot.com/2008/12/finger-charts.html

20. This is better!
120
100
80
TODO
60 CODING
TESTING
DONE (BURNUP)
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

21. What is this?
120
100
80
TODO
60 CODING
TESTING
DONE (BURNUP)
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

22. So what do we need for a CFD?
 Have a defined workflow, even a simple one (TODO,
IN PROGRESS, DONE)
 Track state of Features/Stories/Requirements ,
including historical data
 Cumulative Flow can be easily generated based on this
 Can be improved to be based on Size of items e.g.
Story/Feature Points.
 When using this, can mix different entities on same CFD
 With # of items, items need to be of same kind (e.g.
stories/epics but not a mix)

23. Why use CFD?
 One visibility report provides insight to Burnup, Cycle
Time, WIP, Bottlenecks
 Drives Continuous Improvement, great companion to
discussions about limiting/managing work in progress
(WIP).
 Can be applied for
 Scrum Teams
 End to end product development project/group
 Any kind of team chewing customer-valued work items

24. The visibility partner of Kanban
 Replaces Burnup/Burndown for Kanban
teams/groups.

25. Lets revisit KanbanLand…
 Henrik Kniberg came up with “One day in Kanban
Land” – a comic explaining the key Kanban concepts.
 Lets try to see how a Cumulative Flow Diagram looks
for each of the hours in Kanban Land…
 Comic courtesy and copyright Henrik Kniberg, Crisp
SE

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