Insight about Key Agile Metrics

All about Key Agile Metrics - Sprint burnup, Sprint burndown & CFD let us see the comparison

Example in Context

Scenario: A sprint has 10 tasks with a total of 50 story points.

Sprint Burndown: Tracks the remaining story points day by day. For example:

Shows the remaining story points decreasing from 50 to 0 over the same period.

• X-axis: Days (Day 1 to Day 10).
• Y-axis: Story Points Remaining (50 to 0).
• Line 1 (Remaining Work): Starts at 50 (Day 1) and descends steadily to 0 by Day 10.

Sprint Burnup: Tracks the completed story points against the total scope. For example:

• Shows the completed work rising from 0 to 50 story points over the 10 days.
• Includes the constant total scope line at 50 story points.

From the above Burnup Chart

• X-axis: Days (Day 1 to Day 10).
• Y-axis: Story Points (0 to 50).
• Line 1 (Completed Work): Starts at 0 story points (Day 1) and rises to 50 by Day 10.
• Line 2 (Total Scope): A horizontal line at 50 story points throughout the sprint.

For intermediate days, I will use linear interpolation for simplicity. Here's how the data looks:

Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)

A Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) is a visual tool used in agile project management to represent work in progress across different stages of a workflow. Unlike burndown or burnup charts, which focus primarily on work completed or remaining, CFDs provide a holistic view of the workflow over time.

Example Scenario:

Workflow stages:

• Backlog
• To Do
• In Progress
• Done

Scenario: A team starts with 30 tasks in the backlog. Over a 10-day sprint, tasks progress through various workflow stages.

CFD Chart Insights:

1. WIP Levels:
2. Lead Time:
3. Cycle Time:
4. Scope Changes:
5. Process Health:

When to Use CFD:

• Daily/Weekly Monitoring: Identify process bottlenecks and adjust resources.
• Iteration Reviews: Evaluate whether WIP limits are effective and identify blockers.
• Process Improvement: Analyze lead times and adjust workflows to optimize efficiency.

CFDs are invaluable for teams practicing Kanban or Scrum with Kanban but can be applied in any context where workflow visibility is critical.

• X-axis: Days (Day 1 to Day 10).
• Y-axis: Total number of tasks (cumulative).
• Stacked Areas: Each color band represents a workflow stage. Heights of bands indicate the number of tasks in that stage.

1. Backlog: Tasks decreasing over time as work progresses.
2. To Do: Tasks being pulled into this stage and partially decreasing as they move forward.
3. In Progress: Tasks fluctuating as they move through the workflow.
4. Done: A steadily growing band, indicating completed tasks.

Above said visualization highlights workflow dynamics and any bottlenecks.

Summary

• Sprint Burnup: Ideal for visualizing progress and handling scope changes effectively.
• Sprint Burndown: Focused on tracking work remaining, simple to interpret, and effective for Scrum.
• CFD: A detailed, multi-faceted tool for workflow analysis, bottleneck identification, and process improvement, suited for Kanban or complex workflows.

Choose the chart based on your team's focus: progress, remaining work, or workflow efficiency.

Remember: Avoid overcomplication. Use only what is necessary and relevant for the task at hand.