Flow Based Work Planning Foundations

Flow Based Work Planning Foundations is the set of concepts describing how work is planned and selected within a flow-based delivery approach, providing the counterpart to iteration and sprint planning for teams that organize their work around a continuous stream of items rather than fixed-length cycles. Where cadence-based planning gathers a batch of work at the start of each iteration, flow-based planning continuously pulls new work in as capacity becomes available, requiring a different set of concepts to describe how that continuous selection and replenishment actually happens.

This foundation covers the basic unit of flow-based work, the pull-based mechanism that governs when new work enters the system, the practice of replenishing the pool of ready work at a defined rhythm even without fixed iterations, and the policies and forecasting methods used to guide ongoing work selection and predict future delivery.

The Basic Unit and Mechanism of Flow

Flow Based Work Planning Definition

Flow based work planning is the practice of managing and selecting work as a continuous stream of individual items, drawing new work into progress as capacity allows rather than committing to a fixed batch at the start of a defined cycle.

Work Item Definition

A work item is a single, discrete unit of work moving through a flow-based system, corresponding to a backlog item but described here specifically in its role as the object being pulled through a continuous workflow.

Pull System Definition

A pull system is a mechanism in which new work is drawn into progress only when capacity to handle it becomes available, in contrast to a push system where work is assigned regardless of current capacity, helping to prevent the workflow from becoming overloaded.

Keeping the Work Pool Ready

Work Replenishment Definition

Work replenishment is the process of adding newly refined items to the pool of work available to be pulled, ensuring that a flow-based system always has ready work on hand without requiring the batch planning used in cadence-based approaches.

Replenishment Cadence Definition

Replenishment cadence is the regular rhythm at which replenishment occurs, providing a periodic checkpoint for refining and adding new items even though the underlying delivery of work itself proceeds continuously rather than in fixed batches.

Categorizing and Guiding Work Selection

Service Class Definition

A service class is a category assigned to work items based on shared characteristics, such as urgency, used to apply different handling policies to different types of work moving through the same flow.

Flow Policy Definition

A flow policy is an explicit rule governing how work moves through the system, such as how many items are allowed to be in progress at once or how items of different service classes are prioritized for pulling.

Work Selection Definition

Work selection is the act of choosing which specific item to pull next when capacity becomes available, guided by flow policies and service class considerations rather than a fixed batch decided at the start of an iteration.

Predicting Flow-Based Delivery

Flow Forecast Definition

A flow forecast is a projection of when a given work item or set of items is likely to be completed, based on the historical rate at which items have moved through the system rather than on a fixed iteration-based estimate.

Continuous Planning Definition

Continuous planning is the overall practice of adjusting priorities, policies, and replenishment on an ongoing basis rather than concentrating planning decisions into a single event at the start of a fixed cycle, reflecting the fundamentally continuous nature of flow-based delivery.