Flow Distribution

Definition

Shows the amount of each type of work delivered, over time.

The Socratic view

Certainly it's useful to know, for example, that defects are steadily eating into feature work, or that work on technical debt has been falling steadily. The question, as with any metric: Is the juice worth the squeeze? That is, does the time spent surfacing and reviewing the data result in meaningful change?

Background

Flow Distribution is a software engineering metric that provides insights into the amount of work delivered over time. This metric originated from the Lean software development framework, which emphasizes the elimination of waste and the continuous flow of value to the customer. It started being used in the early 2000s as organizations sought to better understand the distribution of work across different types and priorities.

Use cases

Flow Distribution is utilized when organizations want to gain visibility into the allocation of work and identify any imbalances or trends. It is commonly used by software engineering teams, project managers, and product owners. This metric helps in assessing resource utilization, identifying bottlenecks, and optimizing workflow efficiency. It enables teams to make informed decisions regarding capacity planning, workload allocation, and prioritization.

In a Flow Distribution analysis, various states or stages can be included to represent different types of work. Some common states include developing, bug fixing, testing, and documentation. These states allow teams to track the progress of work at different stages and identify areas where work might be getting stuck or where there might be an overemphasis. By analyzing the distribution across these states, teams can gain insights into their workflow and make adjustments to improve efficiency and productivity.

A comprehensive Flow Distribution analysis can also include states such as design, requirement gathering, deployment, and maintenance, depending on the specific software development process and the stages involved. It is important for teams to define and customize the states based on their unique workflow to accurately capture the distribution of work and identify any potential issues or areas for improvement.

Evaluating the metric

A good value for Flow Distribution depends on the specific context and goals of the software engineering team. Generally, a balanced distribution of work across different types is desirable, indicating that resources are allocated effectively, and work is progressing smoothly. This indicates that the team is able to deliver work across various types consistently, avoiding excessive focus on specific areas.

On the other hand, a bad value for Flow Distribution would be skewed towards a particular type of work. This suggests potential bottlenecks or imbalances in the team's capacity. It may indicate inefficiencies, such as overemphasis on certain types of work or neglected areas. This highlights the need for adjustments in resource allocation and workflow management to improve the team's effectiveness.

By evaluating the Flow Distribution metric, software engineering teams can gain insights into their resource utilization, identify potential issues or bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions to optimize their workflow. It allows teams to identify areas for improvement, allocate workload effectively, and prioritize work based on the distribution of different types. Ultimately, a well-managed and productive software engineering team will strive for a balanced and efficient Flow Distribution to ensure smooth and effective delivery of work.