Work in progress (WIP) and limits

Work in progress, or WIP, means exactly what it says. Work that's in progress. Started, not finished, sat somewhere in the middle. Simple enough, in theory. But there's more to it than that. 

Where it gets interesting, or annoying, depending on your team, is WIP limits. That's a deliberate cap on how many things can be "in progress" at once, originating from Kanban and lean manufacturing. In my experience, most teams have a WIP problem because everyone's trying to help, everyone picks something up, and suddenly there are fourteen tickets half-finished and nothing actually shipped. Because busy isn't the same as done, is it?

A WIP limit forces a choice. Finish this thing, or you can't move on. I can't remember when I came across the saying "stop starting, start finishing". I believe it is an Agile principle, or it was originally linked to Kanban, but I'm not sure. What I do know is that for a long time I had a post-it note on my desk with it on, and it helped me focus on the work in front of me. 

So next time your board's heaving with WIP, don't just ask what's blocked. Ask why so much got started in the first place and how we can improve the process.