Boosting Your Team’s Efficiency

Work in progress (WIP) limit is the maximum amount of work that a team or system can have in progress at any given time.

Multitasking can be less effective than focusing on one task at a time. Therefore, limiting work in progress prevents starting new tasks before the ongoing ones are finished. Teams should set initial limits they feel comfortable with and can commit to following.

One of the fundamental principles of Kanban is to limit work in progress, ensuring that workflows are constant and blockers are addressed immediately.

If managers need to hold one-on-one meetings to update on project progress, it may suggest flaws in the Agile process.

Various practices and processes, such as Kanban, aim to make project progress visible and prompt team action.

WIP limits are crucial for quickly delivering customer value because they help teams identify bottlenecks in their workflow before they become problematic.

Suppose an Engineering Manager still requires status reports. In that case, it may indicate that the delivery process needs to be revised and the team’s effectiveness needs to be improved, potentially rendering the entire company dysfunctional.

WIP stands for “Work In Progress.” It refers to the number of tasks a team is working on. By setting WIP limits, Agile teams can focus on completing their work efficiently. These limits restrict the maximum number of work items in a workflow and can be defined for individuals, work types, or the entire system.

[¹]: Making Work Visible: Exposing Time Theft to Optimize Work & Flow