How to Read Cumulative Flow Diagrams with Colleen Johnson

Summary In this conversation, Dave Prior and Colleen Johnson discuss the concept of cumulative flow diagrams (CFDs) and their practical application in Agile methodologies. They explore the significance of CFDs in understanding work in progress, cycle time, and throughput. Colleen provides insights into the interpretation of CFDs and the implications for team performance and workflow management. The conversation delves into Little's Law, airport analogies, and the visualization of CFDs to identify patterns and bottlenecks in the workflow. The conversation covers the use of Cumulative Flow Diagrams (CFDs) as a tool for visualizing work in progress and identifying workflow issues. It also delves into the concept of accelerating product value and the importance of learning quickly in product development. The discussion emphasizes the need for small bets and fast feedback to drive product improvement. Additionally, it highlights the challenges of defining and predicting value in product development. If you would like to watch the original video interview, you can find it here. https://tinyurl.com/55r86tah Takeaways - Understanding the practical application of cumulative flow diagrams (CFDs) in Agile methodologies - Interpreting CFDs to identify patterns an bottlenecks in the workflow - The significance of Little's Law and airport analogies in understanding CFDs - Visualizing CFDs to gain insights into work in progress, cycle time, and throughput - Implications of CFDs for team performance and workflow management CFDs provide a visual representation of work in progress and can be used to identify workflow issues. - Accelerating product value involves making small bets, learning quickly, and responding to feedback to drive product improvement. - Defining and predicting value in product development can be challenging, and the focus should be on shipping fast, learning quickly, and enabling rapid response to feedback. - The conversation also touches on the importance of understanding customer behavior and the need to pivot quickly based on feedback. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast 03:16 Introduction to ProKanban 06:46 Understanding CFDs 09:37 Little's Law and Airport Analogies 04:14:24 Work in Progress and Work Item Age 16:53 Interpreting CFDs and Workflow Insights 27:46 Accelerating Product Value through Small Bets and Fast Feedback 40:48 Challenges of Defining and Predicting Value in Product Development Contacting Colleen ProKanban: https://www.prokanban.org LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colleen-johnson Email: colleen@scatterspoke.com Additional Links The Art of War for Collaboration: https://modusinstitute.com/course/art-of-war-collaboration Agile Alliance LinkedIn: https://www.agilealliance.org