Work in Progress (WIP) scrabble pieces spelling incomplete without the "o"

In Lean systems, an important metric is how many work items are in an unfinished state. In Lean Manufacturing, it is particularly common to see Work In Progress (WIP) in use, where work items pass through what is often a complex series of steps on their way to completion. In knowledge work such as software development, teams often use Kanban boards to visualize where each work item is in the team’s workflow, and they set a WIP Limit on how many work items can be in a particular workflow state at the same time.

Related Media

Work In Progress Video

Work In Progress Podcasts

Work In Progress Example

Related Subjects

Kanban

Lean

Theory of Constraints

WIP Limit

Acknowledgments

Authored by Steve Moubray

Edited by Philip Rogers

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

 

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About the author

I'm a Lean-Agile Coach with a passion for Community Building and just celebrated our 5-year Meetup anniversary with over 2,000 members. With over 20+ years of experience in all different levels from the mailroom to the boardroom. My main focus the past few years has been helping organizations embrace Agility through Lean Portfolio Management, Program Management, launching Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and helping to create Lean Agile Centers of Excellence. Bringing people together is one of my passions and I host a large and successful Meetup which has celebrated our 5 year anniversary and love seeing all the smiles and happy faces. I was also the co-chair for A20dmv.org celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Agile Manifesto in the DC Metro area. Growing and coaching new leaders is important to me and when I heard Gapbuster.org needed hosting a new website, I pulled some friends together and we delivered. I'm blessed, not only by an amazing agile community but also by my loving family. My wife Nataliya is an avid gardener and speaks 3 languages fluently. I love my children (Tatiana and Max) more than anything in this world but realize nothing loves me more than my eldest dog Sigyn. Now I'm becoming a part-time soccer coach for Max so he's able to continue playing with his amazing friends.
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