CFD-02
Flat Band — Stage Starvation
CFD
Default severity: medium
ProcessMetricsOutputRisk
What it detects
A workflow stage band shows zero growth for the configured number of consecutive days — that stage receives no new work. daily_inflow(stage) = COUNT(transitions into stage, per day)
Detection formula
IF daily_inflow = 0 FOR >= config.cfd.starvation_days // default: 5d THEN FLAG starvation at that stage stages_to_monitor = config.workflow.all_active_stagesExamples in practice
- Cumulative flow bands widen, invert, or stall while throughput fails to keep pace.
- Stage WIP grows without matching completion slope on the CFD.
- A team shows a workflow stage band shows zero growth for the configured number of consecutive days while starvation days is set to 5d.
Suggested response
Read stage WIP and throughput together; relieve bottlenecks and balance arrival vs capacity.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
A workflow stage band shows zero growth for the configured number of consecutive days — that stage receives no new work. daily_inflow(stage) = COUNT(transitions into stage, per day)
Why it matters
When "Flat Band — Stage Starvation" keeps appearing, the team is signalling a repeatable process gap. Left unexamined, the pattern hides where work really stalls and makes improvement metrics harder to trust.
What you can achieve
Read stage WIP and throughput together; relieve bottlenecks and balance arrival vs capacity.
Facilitation questions
- What system change would stop "Flat Band — Stage Starvation" from firing again?
- What do the cited issues have in common — same root cause or same workaround?
- Who owns the two-week experiment and how will we verify on the next import?
Run this rule against your own tracker data with Flow Analyzer.