Viz

Hello, I have been trying to run time reports for 2024 but with no luck, the data is there and I can pull the last week of December and onwards into 2025 but nothing for 2024…. any ideas what may be causing this?

My favorite is simply daily “focus”. Swarming as a team on the highest priority item. I think it is because I find a lot of joy in working together to solve challenges on a high performing team. There is clarity on what is important, a shared objective. It is much more fulfilling to me then starting a lot of work and feeling frantic, not being able to complete it, seeing the work age gives me some stress. Do you have a favorite improvement practice, whether daily, each sprint, ad-hoc, quarterly or otherwise? I would love to hear! 

Flow metrics tell you what is happening in your delivery pipeline, but they rarely reveal the why. What if you could dig deeper and uncover the root causes behind those numbers?The key lies in transforming raw data into actionable insights through intelligent visualization. By leveraging AI-powered analysis tools and Python, you can move beyond surface-level metrics to understand the underlying patterns that drive your team's performance.From Data to Discovery in MinutesTake the Viz Flow Item Analyzer (FIA) CSV export, for example. Combined with Python's visualization capabilities, this data becomes a powerful lens for examining your delivery process. Scatterplots of flow time data are particularly revealing—they expose individual bottlenecks and outliers that aggregate metrics often mask.When you can see these friction points clearly, you can begin to categorize and systematically address them. As the saying goes: "You can't manage what you can't measure"—but more importantly, you can

We’ve published a fully actionable Flow-Based Planning Checklist that teams, product managers, and leaders can use to build realistic, capacity-based plans — not wishful thinking.✅ Covers both Per Team (Story level) and Product/Value Stream (Epic level)✅ Includes Flow Distribution, OKR allocation, WIP triage, blocked work, bottlenecks, dependencies, experiments, and Epic flow control✅ Copilot prompts included to pull real data — no guessing✅ Designed to improve predictability, protect teams, and deliver business outcomes quarter over quarter🔎 Use it before every planning cycle to surface system reality, make smarter tradeoffs, and prevent overload before it happens.Link here

One of the biggest challenges in portfolio management isn’t tracking work — it’s knowing, with confidence: Will we actually deliver the work we committed to? Are we already overloaded? Where is work at risk — and what can we do about it now? We’ve published a practical, step-by-step guide you can use immediately — with or without Copilot — to answer these questions using Flow Metrics in plain business language.✅ No jargon✅ No formulas✅ Direct portfolio questions you’re already asking✅ Simple Copilot prompts you can use right now👉 Read the full guide hereIf you have questions or want help applying this in your portfolio, feel free to reply or reach out!

Most OKR guidance focuses on how to write good OKRs.Very few get into how OKRs live inside the real delivery system once work starts flowing.✅ How do OKRs connect to funding?✅ How do teams prioritize work against them daily?✅ What roles own what?✅ What cadences prevent capacity drift?✅ How do leaders keep delivery aligned to outcomes?I put together a practical OKR Operating Cadence that covers: Strategic vs Operational OKRs (and how they work together) Roles & responsibilities across leadership, teams, product, and delivery Daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly cadences to maintain alignment Flow OKRs to connect delivery performance to business outcomes The leadership habits that make or break real-world OKR success ✅ Works across Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, or hybrid delivery models.👉 Full guide here: https://success.planview.com/Planview_Viz/Flow_Methodology/080_Additional_Resources/Managing_OKRs___FlowIf you're working to embed OKRs into how your organization actually runs — would lo

Using Copilot to Create Data Visualizations (No Programming Experience Required!)Hey there! Ready to create some amazing data visualizations without writing a single line of code? You're in the right place! This guide will show you how to leverage Copilot to generate beautiful charts and tables, even if you've never programmed before. Trust me - if you can describe what you want, you can make it happen!   Getting Started: Your New Data Visualization Journey You might not be able to code python,  but Copilot canTry typing:Create clean python code to create a bar chart showing Flow Velocity® by type (Features, Defects, Debt) over the last 30 days. Include proper labels and a title."This will produce python code that when executed will draw a chart.  Below is an “as is” example of what Copilot produced for me.  Yours will be similar.  Note that the    lines need to be removed before saving the file.  Eventually this will be built into Copilot,  but this provides a way to do it. i

Sometimes it can be very helpful to be able to look at a portfolio of products,  analyze changes and anomalies in the overall portfolio metrics,  but then further analyze the contributions made by individual teams.   This prompt is a way to approach that.  PERSONA  Team of Teams Leader  What I really want to know  I want to identify trends and changes in metrics and determine which teams are having the greatest impact on those.  This is a form of Attribution Analysis.  Level to Select (Portfolio, Product)  Portfolio  PROMPT  I want you to emulate the following process   Role: Portfolio Attribution Analyst for Flow Metrics Goal: Automatically identify key observations (for example, anomalies, trends) flow metrics at a portfolio level and for each observation, explain how individual products in that portfolio are contributing to them as well as key recommendations.   Instructions: - Review the flow metrics for the portfolio for t

PERSONA  Team of Teams Leader  What I really want to know  Which teams need to be celebrated for what reasons?  Level to Select (Portfolio, Product)  Portfolio  PROMPT  Customize your formula the way you want to    Given the following scoring algorithm, analyze each product in this portfolio using the following steps:  For every 5% drop in flow load, award that product 10 points.  If flow velocity of features remains within a 10% range, award 10 points.  If the flow distribution amount of defects is below 30% then add 10 points.  Iterate over every product and make a list of the products and their scores. 

PERSONA  Product Leader, Scrum Master   What I really want to know  I’m going into my quarterly planning and I want to know what I can do to make better decisions to maximize my flow and address any problematic patterns  Level to Select (Portfolio, Product)  Product  PROMPT  What metrics should we consider for planning the next quarter based on last quarter’s performance?   What can I do to make better decisions to maximize my flow and address problematic patterns.    

PERSONA  Product Leader, Scrum Master  What I really want to know  A 90 Day summary of how the team has been doing in terms of flow metrics  Level to Select (Portfolio, Product)  Product  PROMPT  Summarize  <Team Name> flow data for last 90 days or Select a team in the hierarchy first and typeCreate a short summary of flow data for last 90 days.  Include the following sections:  Key Trends:  Notable Observations:  Month by Month summary Overall Summary     

PERSONA  VP Engineering / Team of Teams Leader  What I really want to know  I want to see in ranked order the products that have seen the most improvement over the past year  Level to Select (Portfolio, Product)  Portfolio  PROMPT  Please rank the products in order of those that have shown the most improvement over the last year     

PERSONA  Engineering Manager, Team of Teams Leader  What I really want to know  Where am I seeing actual improvement in this portfolio  Level to Select (Portfolio, Product)  Portfolio  PROMPT  Analyze the this portfolio and highlight any areas that show increased throughput in terms of flow velocity and where... and if we are... what are the contributing factors to those increases? 

If you manage a team of teams, and you are looking at a portfolio in Viz,  you can do a cross portfolio analysis and leaderboard with this prompt.Create a report focusing on accomplishments for [insert month]. Create several leaderboards that showcase and compare accomplishments of each of the value streams in this portfolio. Finally include a section on things to improve

This is a simple prompt you can use or modify to get a quick at a glance check of a value streamCreate a health check report for this value stream for the month of [insert month]. Use Emojis in the report.   

Hi everyone! 👋I'm so glad you're here. This is by far the most exciting development I have seen in my 25 years working in Software Development. This space is for all of us—Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Managers, and all other Roles and Team members—who want to make work better.We all feel it:Too many meetings. Too much WIP. Priorities changing mid-sprint. Burnout creeping in.And at the same time—pressure to deliver faster, with less.That’s where Viz Copilot comes in.It’s not just a tool for metrics. It’s a tool to help you: Get ahead of blockers instead of reacting to chaos Protect team focus and reduce overload Spend more time doing meaningful work—and less time chasing down status When work flows better, everyone wins: 💡 Employees feel more focused, less stressed, and more in control 📦 Customers get value sooner 📈 The business performs better without sacrificing people Here are a couple of my favorite prompts to help you take back control of your time and flow. I’d love

🚧 Do you enjoy solving delivery bottlenecks?Ever feel like there's always that one thing slowing everything else down?If so, you have to check out Clarke Ching’s Bottleneck Detective's Manifesto. It’s a short, sharp, and seriously insightful guide to spotting and solving constraints that quietly kill flow in your delivery system.🔍 It’s a fun read, packed with clarity, wit, and wisdom — whether you're deep into Flow Framework, Theory of Constraints, or just curious about improving how your teams deliver.Have you read it? What stood out to you?Let’s swap notes — what bottlenecks are you currently wrestling with? Link here: Bottleneck Detective Manifesto    

Here are some example prompts and short videos. Please let us know what you think? I would love to hear what your favorite prompts are!https://success.planview.com/Planview_Viz/Using_Planview_Copilot_in_Viz/Prompt_LibraryI am really enjoying using it to generate monthly flow review insights product by product along with recommendations. What used to take me a lot of time I can now do in minutes, not to mention I love Copilot’s “personality” encouraging teams and findings wins in some of the responses I have seen!  

🎉 Exciting News: Planview Connect 2025 Mark your calendars for April 23-25 - Planview Connect 2025 is coming to Florida! Here's what you can look forward to at this year's immersive experience:✨ What's in Store:Learn from real-world success stories shared by leading organizations Get hands-on training directly from Planview experts Connect with peers from various industries Get a sneak peek at upcoming features and product innovations Level up your expertise with certification opportunities⏰ Important: Early bird pricing ends January 31st!Ready to dive in? Check out: 🔍 Full agenda overview ❓ Event FAQDrop a comment below if you're planning to join us or have any questions. We can't wait to see you there!#PlanviewConnect2025 #PlanviewCommunity #EarlyBird

🔄 Community Discussion: Using Flow Distribution & Metrics in PI/Quarterly PlanningHi Viz Community!As many of us prepare for upcoming PI/Quarterly planning, let's discuss how you're using Flow Distribution and Flow Metrics to inform your planning decisions. The Flow Framework® guidance provides recommendations for balancing Features, Defects, Risk, and Debt investments, but we'd love to hear how you're applying these in practice during your planning events.Please see the attached PDFs for Guidance on how to use Flow Metrics in Quarterly Planning as well as how to plan/balance Flow Distribution. 📊 Some key discussion areas:How do you use Flow metrics to set PI objectives? What role does Flow Distribution play in capacity planning? How do you balance planned vs unplanned work in your PI commitments? What data do you present to stakeholders during PI planning?Share your experiences:How do you adjust distribution targets for different PIs based on business needs? What Flow metrics ha

When I woke up today I didn’t feel older, but I know I am. When I weighed myself I lost a couple pounds since yesterday.Nothing stays the same. Some things improve (my weight). Some things degrade (my age).Your flow performance is the same.Many people assume flow performance is the same as it was 6 months ago. It is not.You are either improving or degrading.This is the second law of thermodynamics and it holds for flow. 

Attached is the Planview Flow Methodology Scrum Master & Product Owner Quick Start Checklist provides a quick and practical way to jumpstart improving flow through simple steps that take less than 5 minutes. By focusing on daily actions like unblocking stalled work, monitoring aging tasks, and prioritizing effectively, teams can see immediate benefits. Even if you only do one thing, such as leveraging the Flow Optimizer to stabilize Flow Time, you can make a measurable impact.While there are many additional strategies to explore, these foundational actions lay the groundwork for meaningful improvement. One particularly impactful practice is using headcount timeline events and timeline events to provide critical context—both within your product team and to stakeholders evaluating flow at the portfolio level.Key Benefits Quick Wins: Immediate improvements from small, daily actions that stabilize and optimize Flow Time. Even one action—like unblocking value in stalled work—can delive

Hi Community,I’m excited to share the Quarterly Portfolio Review Template, an actual customer example of how Flow Metrics are used in Portfolio Reviews with Product Leads and Executives. This template provides a practical way to visualize and discuss progress, ensuring alignment and actionable insights at both quarterly and monthly intervals.What’s New and Coming SoonThe current version is available now, but I’m excited to announce that the next version will be published shortly, featuring:Portfolio Flow Metrics Screen: A consolidated view of Flow Metrics across the portfolio. Waste Calculations: A deeper dive into areas of inefficiency to uncover opportunities for improvement. Enhanced Analysis: Including bottleneck identification, aging work trends, and Flow Metric trends to support more effective decision-making.How This Template Can Be UsedQuarterly Portfolio Review: Discuss portfolio-level trends with Product Leads and Executives to ensure alignment with strategic goals. Monthly P

Hi, I’d like to understand the process in dealing with the below scenario.When a ticket is moved in progress in an active sprint and then moved to the backlog, should the status be updated to Open?Will the Flow Time continue to calculate on the ticket or will time pause when a ticket is moved in backlog?