The Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) reveals three central Kanban metrics at a glance: Work in Progress, Lead Time, and Throughput. Each workflow phase is represented as a colored band that grows over time. This makes the CFD more powerful than a Burndown Chart, because it shows not just progress but the state of the entire system.
The reading is systematic. The horizontal distance between two bands shows the Lead Time, indicating how long an item is in the system on average. The vertical distance shows the current WIP. The slope of the upper line shows Throughput. When the bands diverge, WIP is growing and Lead Time is increasing. When they run parallel, the system is in balance. A team can thus recognize early whether work is piling up before a specific phase and take targeted action before cycle times escalate.
The CFD originates from statistical process control and was adapted for the Kanban context by David Anderson. Most common project management tools generate CFDs automatically from the board data.
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