Cumulative Flow Diagram

A cumulative flow diagram (CFD) is a chart that shows how many work items are in each stage of a workflow over time, drawn as stacked coloured bands. At a glance it reveals whether work is flowing smoothly or piling up: widening bands signal a growing queue or bottleneck.

The CFD makes three things visible – the amount of work in progress, the approximate cycle time, and the arrival versus completion rates. It is a key tool in Kanban for spotting where flow breaks down and where to focus improvement.

Related: flow, throughput, kanban board.

Last updated: 4 July 2026 · By Tom, PMP-certified since 2004

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