CFD-04
Step Pattern — Batch Delivery
CFD
Default severity: medium
ProcessMetricsOutputRisk
What it detects
Done band grows in discrete steps — batch score (peak / median daily completions) exceeds the configured threshold and batch days correlate with configured sprint end dates. batch_score = MAX(done_daily) / MEDIAN(done_daily)
Detection formula
IF batch_score > config.cfd.batch_score_threshold // default: 5 AND batch_days CORRELATE WITH config.sprint.end_days THEN FLAGExamples 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 done band grows in discrete steps while batch score threshold is set to 5.
Suggested response
Read stage WIP and throughput together; relieve bottlenecks and balance arrival vs capacity.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
Done band grows in discrete steps — batch score (peak / median daily completions) exceeds the configured threshold and batch days correlate with configured sprint end dates. batch_score = MAX(done_daily) / MEDIAN(done_daily)
Why it matters
When "Step Pattern — Batch Delivery" 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 "Step Pattern — Batch Delivery" 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.