Work in progress limit

What It Means

A work in progress (WIP) limit is the most tasks allowed in one stage of a workflow at the same time, usually written on a column of a kanban boardKanban boardA board split into columns for each stage of work, such as To Do, In Progress and Done, with a card for every task that moves across as the work advances. See more. When the column is full, nobody starts anything new there until a task moves on. Limiting WIP is one of the core practices of the Kanban Method, where it turns a board into a pull system: new work gets pulled in only when there's room under the limit.

How People Say It

• "In progress is at its WIP limit, finish something first."
• "Stop starting, start finishing."
• "We bumped the WIP limit to four for launch week."

The Breakdown

How to set a WIP limit

1. Put all current work on a kanban board with To Do, In Progress and Done.
2. Count what's in progress right now. That's your starting point.
3. Set a limit on the In Progress column. A common rule of thumb (Buhata's own suggestion) is about one task per person, plus one.
4. When the column is full, help finish or unblock a task instead of starting a new one.
5. If a card is stuck and the column fills up, talk about why. The Kanban Method describes three choices: break the limit, ignore the problem, or face it and change something.
6. After a few weeks, adjust the limit up or down based on how smoothly work moves.

Worked example (Buhata's own numbers)

Short version to try today. Write down every task you've started and not finished. If there are more than three, finish one before you start anything new.

Where It Comes From

Limiting WIP comes from the Kanban Method that David J. Anderson developed for knowledge work, with roots in Toyota's kanban system for factory production. His school lists it among the three operational practices, alongside visualizing the workflow and managing flow, and Kanban University publishes the method's official guide.

Good to Know

In Jira, a WIP limit is set as a column constraint with a minimum and a maximum, found in the board's column settings, and it's shown next to the column's count. According to Atlassian's help pages, going over the maximum changes the column header's color, so the whole team can see the limit has been passed. As Buhata's own rule of thumb, a limit that's broken every week is probably too low, and one that never comes close is probably too high.

Related Terms and Categories

• Kanban board

  A board split into columns for each stage of work, such as To Do, In Progress and Done, with a card for every task that moves across as the work advances.

• Context switching

  Moving your attention from one task to another and back, which costs time and focus each time your mind has to reset for the new task.

• Multitasking myth

  The mistaken belief that you can do several thinking tasks at once without cost; research finds switching between tasks slows people down and adds errors.

• Scrumban

  A way of working that starts from Scrum and adds Kanban practices such as a visible board, work in progress limits and pulling work in when there's room.

• Agile

  A way of working, set out in the 2001 Agile Manifesto, that delivers in small pieces, gets feedback early and adjusts the plan as it learns.

Productivity methods and focus