Overview
The Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) plots the count of issues in each workflow stage on every day of your chosen date range. Each stage is a colored band stacked on the others, so the total height of the chart always equals your total issue count. Watching how bands grow and shrink tells you whether work is flowing smoothly or piling up.
Overview
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Stacked Area Chart | One colored band per workflow stage - bands stack to show total WIP |
| 6 Band Modes | Status categories, individual statuses, board columns, board column categories, work item types, custom field values |
| Calculate By | Issue count, Story Points, Story Point Estimate, Original Time Estimate, or any custom numeric field |
| Board Integration | Connect to a Jira Software board to use its column definitions as bands |
| Sprint & Release Scoping | Scope the CFD to a specific sprint (including "latest sprint auto") or release version |
| Flexible Date Ranges | Rolling windows, fixed ranges, sprint dates, or release dates |
| Include Sub-Tasks | Toggle to include or exclude sub-tasks from the analysis |
| Band Customization | Reorder, hide, and color-code individual workflow bands |
How to Read a CFD
- Band width (vertical height at any date) = number of issues currently in that stage
- Narrow bands = work moves through quickly (good)
- Wide bands = work is accumulating (potential bottleneck)
- Flat top line = no new work is being added (stable scope)
- Rising top line = new issues are being added (scope growth)
- Steepening right edge = accelerating completion (delivery speed increasing)
Data Sources
| Source Type | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Projects | Analyze all issues in one or more Jira projects |
| Saved Filter | Use a pre-saved Jira filter as the issue scope |
| Custom JQL | Write a JQL query for precise scoping (e.g., a specific component or epic) |
| Jira Software Board | Connect to a board to inherit its column definitions as CFD bands |
Band Modes
| Band Mode | What Defines the Bands | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Status Categories | Jira's built-in status categories (To Do / In Progress / Done) | High-level flow overview |
| Individual Statuses | Each unique Jira workflow status is its own band | Detailed per-status analysis |
| Board Columns | Columns from a connected Jira Software board | Teams using Kanban or Scrum boards |
| Board Column Categories | The category groupings of board columns | Simplified board-level view |
| Work Item Types | Group issues by issue type | Comparing Stories vs. Bugs vs. Tasks over time |
| Values of a Custom Field | Group issues by a custom field value | Non-standard workflows or multi-team boards |
Interpreting Common CFD Patterns
Healthy Flow
All bands are roughly proportional and the total height grows steadily. Done band widens progressively. No single band dominates.
Bottleneck
One band (e.g., "In Review") grows consistently wider over time while later bands stay flat. Work is entering the stage faster than it is leaving. Address the bottleneck stage's capacity.
Scope Creep
The top of the chart keeps rising even as the Done band grows. New work is being added faster than it is being completed.
Stalled Sprint
The chart goes flat across all bands for multiple days. Work is not moving - investigate blockers, dependencies, or team availability.