VS-06
Directly Blocked Node
Value Stream Graph
Default severity: medium
PrioritizationProcessOutputRisk
What it detects
A node (issue) in the delivery graph is directly blocked by one or more other nodes that are not yet Done — delivery of this node cannot start or continue until blockers are resolved. Severity scales with the number of downstream nodes that inherit the blockage. blocked_issues = issues WHERE any linked_issue (type=\'is blocked by\') NOT IN config.workflow.terminal_statuses
Detection formula
FOR each_blocked_issue B: downstream_impact = COUNT(nodes reachable from B via parent-child AND dependency edges) FLAG B with severity proportional to downstream_impact IF B.status IN config.workflow.active_statuses THEN CRITICAL (work in progress is blocked)Examples in practice
- Dependency links or initiative graph paths are missing, cyclic, or blocked.
- Downstream work waits on unresolved upstream dependencies.
- A team shows a node (issue) in the delivery graph is directly blocked by one or more other nodes that are not yet done while active statuses is set to Configured per workspace.
Suggested response
Repair dependency and initiative graph links so delivery paths and handoffs are explicit.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
A node (issue) in the delivery graph is directly blocked by one or more other nodes that are not yet Done — delivery of this node cannot start or continue until blockers are resolved. Severity scales with the number of downstream nodes that inherit the blockage. blocked_issues = issues WHERE any linked_issue (type=\'is blocked by\') NOT IN config.workflow.terminal_statuses
Why it matters
When "Directly Blocked Node" 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
Repair dependency and initiative graph links so delivery paths and handoffs are explicit.
Facilitation questions
- What system change would stop "Directly Blocked Node" 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.