Frameworks

flow / metrics / delivery / kanban

Flow Metrics Dashboard

Cycle time, throughput and WIP with percentiles over averages, plus aging WIP alerts.

Purpose

See how work moves through the system, where it waits and how reliably it finishes. Use distributions rather than a single average to support better delivery decisions.

When to use

  • Delivery forecasts vary widely between teams.
  • Work in progress keeps growing without more work finishing.

What you get

  • A cycle time and throughput measurement guide.
  • Percentile-based forecasting prompts and ageing WIP alert criteria.

How to use Flow Metrics

Quick start

  1. 1Load the sample work items.
  2. 2Read p50 and p85 cycle time; ignore the average.
  3. 3List every item aging past your p85; pick one to finish or kill this week.

What good looks like

Percentiles are visible, the aging WIP count is a number leaders can ask about on Monday, and forecast talk uses a range rather than a single date derived from an average.

Common mistakes

  • Managing to average cycle time.
  • Growing WIP while celebrating throughput.
  • No WIP age policy.

Cycle time per completed item

6 items

Payment validation: 2.0 daysRefund receipt: 3.0 daysSettlement report: 4.0 daysRetry failed payment: 5.0 daysPayout checks: 6.0 daysPayment notification: 7.0 daysp50 4.5dp85 6.3d

Monday action: Calculate p85 from your last 10 done items on one board; write the number in the team channel.

Interactive workspace

Open tools / your team's context

Local workspace

Flow metrics workspace

Editable local examples, not industry benchmarks.

Loading local workspace

Cycle time per completed item

6 items

Payment validation: 2.0 daysRefund receipt: 3.0 daysSettlement report: 4.0 daysRetry failed payment: 5.0 daysPayout checks: 6.0 daysPayment notification: 7.0 daysp50 4.5dp85 6.3d
Bars are calendar days from start to completion. Items past the local p85 are highlighted.

Cycle time p50

4.5 days

Cycle time p85

6.3 days

Throughput, last 30 days

6

Current WIP

1

Cycle-time distribution

p50

4.5d

Half of completed work

p70

5.5d

70% of completed work

p85

6.3d

85% of completed work

p95

6.8d

95% of completed work

6 completed items in your local sample

Cycle time uses all completed items with valid dates. Percentiles use linear interpolation, not averages. Throughput uses completion dates in the last 30 calendar days. These are your local observations, not forecasts or industry benchmarks.

Aging WIP alerts

Active work age vs local p85

p85 6.3d

Reconciliation exceptions

12d
The dashed marker is your local p85. Bars past it deserve a conversation this week.

Review this blocker

Reconciliation exceptions

12d active / 6.3d local p85

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Free to use and adapt with attribution to Momentup Consulting under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Read the licence.

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