title: Kanban - What's the data behind cumulative flow diagram?
body: <p>I have a simple question that somehow refuses to get answered. All resources online point to contradictory ways of doing a cumulative flow diagram. Hence, here's my query to you - </p>
  
  <p>How do we add Stories per day to a cumulative flow diagram in Kanban?</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>Do we add the Stories that were worked on any day in any of the queues? - This implies that the numbers can drop over time and there is considerable fluctuation.</li>
  <li>Do we add the Stories that were ever worked in any of the queues + Stories that were worked today? This means that the numbers in any queue can never drop down. They will grow over time or remain the same as yesterday at the least.</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>I understand that cumulative means approach# 2 but I do see examples which take the first approach.</p>