Business operations concept · updated August 9, 2026
Cumulative Flow
Cumulative flow is a chart showing the volume of work in each stage of a process over time, revealing where work is piling up.
Example
A widening band for "in review" on a cumulative flow diagram shows that review, not the earlier or later stages, is where work is now accumulating.
Why it matters
Seeing where work piles up points a team directly at the stage causing delay, rather than guessing at which part of the process is the bottleneck.
Limits and cautions
The chart needs consistent, accurate stage tracking to be trustworthy. Stale or inconsistently updated statuses produce a misleading picture.
Relevance to Stelaah
Stelaah's project and task views track stage and status changes that could inform a cumulative flow view where that reporting is available.
This connection describes product intent, not a guarantee that every plan or workflow supports every related capability.