Documentation for GreenHopper 6.2.x. Documentation for other versions of JIRA Agile is available too.
GreenHopper is now called JIRA Agile. Learn more.

 

A Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) is an area chart that shows the various statuses of work items for a product, version, or sprint. The horizontal x-axis in a CFD indicates time, and the vertical y-axis indicates cards (issues). Each coloured area of the chart equates to a workflow status (i.e. a column on your board).

A CFD can be useful for identifying bottlenecks. If your chart contains an area that is widening vertically over time, the column that equates to the widening area will generally be a bottleneck.

Viewing the CFD

To view the cumulative flow chart:

  1. Click the Agile link's down-arrow in the top navigation bar, then select your preferred board from the resulting dropdown menu.
  2. Click Report, then select Cumulative Flow Diagram from the drop-down at left. The CFD for the version will be displayed (see screenshot below).

On this page:


 

Screenshot: Cumulative Flow Diagram

 

 

Refining the CFD

  • The CFD is based upon your column mapping.
  • To re-draw the chart excluding a column(s) or swimlane(s), or to apply a quick filter, click Refine.
  • To select a different timeframe (past week/past month/past 3 months/past 6 months/all time/custom), click the date range at the top of the chart.
  • To select a different date range, drag your cursor across the 'Overview' at the bottom of the chart.

Note that the CFD is board-specific, that is, it will only include issues which match your board's Saved Filter.