A distinct flow of work activities within a larger project, typically organized around specific objectives or deliverables. Multiple workstreams often run in parallel and converge at key project milestones.
Compound of 'work' from Old English 'weorc' and 'stream' from Old English 'stream' (flowing water). The metaphor of work flowing like water emerged in business process terminology in the 1990s.
The stream metaphor is more literal than you might think - like tributaries feeding a river, workstreams can merge, split, or even dry up completely without killing the main project. The art is managing the confluence points where streams meet.
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