How to identify a bottleneck in the flow?

A bottleneck is identified by a slowdown in the flow - when tasks at some stage start piling up and moving slower than at the others. Kanban makes this visible both visually and through metrics.

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#Main ways to identify it

1. The Kanban board If the number of cards in one column keeps growing, that's the first signal. For example, if "Review" is overloaded, checks aren't keeping up with development.
2. Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) On the chart, the layer of a specific status starts to "bulge" - meaning tasks are getting stuck at that stage. The thicker the zone, the stronger the delay.
3. Cycle Time by stage Measure the average time spent at each stage. The stage where cycle time is significantly higher than the others is the bottleneck.
4. WIP data If the WIP limit is constantly exceeded in one column, the flow is unbalanced - there are more tasks than the team can handle.
5. Observation and feedback Sometimes the cause isn't in the metrics but in communication: people are waiting for data, decisions, tests. These delays are bottlenecks too.

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#Conclusion

To find a bottleneck, look at where work "stands still": the queue grows, execution time increases, and flow stability drops. Visualization, metrics, and regular analysis help the team remove these points and maintain a smooth, steady work rhythm.