Thoughts from "Kanban in Action": WIP Limits

• WIP Limit is not a strict rule but a trigger for discussion.
• There is no true WIP limit to be found. WIP limits are tools that you use to improve.
• Start with your gut feeling and adjust the limit up or down.

1. Lower is better than higher

• Better lead times.
• Faster Feedback.
• It forces you to remove impediments.

2. People idle of work idle

WIP too high = Work Idle

• Work items that no one is responsible for.
• You want the WIP limits to push you into resolving problems, not allow you to work without noticing them.

WIP too low = People Idle

• All items are being worked on, and there are people without work.
• Collaborate to get items done or raise WIP limit.
• If too low any disturbance -blockers, people out of the office, etc.- will cause all work to stop.

3. No limits is not the answer

• Eventually, the board will end up not being used, because you can't see the work items for all the work on the board.
• Removing the WIP limit will remove the incentive to improve. Nothing will force you to finish the ones there before starting new work.

• Strive to complete current work before starting anything new.

It's not "the more you start, the more you finish", it's "the more you finish, the more you finish". -David P. Joyce