Work in Progress (WIP)
Work in Progress (WIP) measures the number of work items actively in progress at a given time. It reflects how much the team is juggling concurrently and how smoothly work is flowing through the delivery pipeline.
Calculation
A work item is typically considered “in progress” when it has left the backlog and entered an active state such as coding, review, testing, or validation. Teams may define this using workflow states or board columns.
This metric is calculated by counting the number of active work items at a specific point in time or averaged over a reporting window:
wip = number of items in active progress
Goals
WIP helps teams identify whether they are taking on too much work at once. It answers questions like:
- Are we starting more than we’re finishing?
- Is work getting stuck in certain delivery stages?
- Are we spreading attention too thin across parallel efforts?
Lowering WIP helps reduce context switching, speed up feedback, and improve delivery focus.
Variations
WIP is also known as In-Flight Work or Active Workload, especially in flow-based systems like Kanban. Common variations include:
- WIP per person, to monitor multitasking and task overload
- WIP by stage, such as coding vs. testing vs. review
- Average WIP, calculated over a sprint or week
- WIP limits, which cap the number of concurrent items allowed in each stage
WIP is often paired with Cycle Time and Flow Efficiency to understand how well work is moving through the system.
Limitations
WIP measures quantity, not speed. A low WIP count can still indicate slow delivery if tasks are large, blocked, or poorly defined.
The metric also does not reflect value. Teams may have high WIP made up of low-priority or low-impact work that does not advance business goals.
To make WIP more actionable, use it alongside:
| Complementary Metric | Why It’s Relevant |
|---|---|
| Cycle Time | Shows how long it takes to complete work, highlighting whether WIP is flowing or stuck. |
| Sprint Rollover Rate | Reveals whether high WIP is causing tasks to carry over between sprints. |
| Flow Efficiency | Distinguishes between active and idle time to assess how much WIP is truly progressing. |
Optimization
Improving WIP means finding the right balance between productivity and focus, and designing processes that promote flow rather than friction.
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Set WIP limits. Place explicit limits on the number of tasks allowed in each workflow stage. This encourages team members to finish in-progress work before starting new items.
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Encourage swarming. Instead of each person starting separate work, have the team rally around finishing key items. Swarming reduces delays and promotes shared ownership.
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Break down large work. Oversized tasks can stall WIP flow. Split complex items into smaller, independently testable chunks to improve throughput and visibility.
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Visualize work by stage. Use boards or dashboards to surface WIP distribution across your delivery workflow. Spot patterns like testing bottlenecks or review pileups.
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Identify and resolve blockers. Actively track what’s stuck and why. Teams should treat blocked WIP as urgent, since idle work increases lead time and reduces predictability.
Managing WIP well leads to faster delivery, fewer handoffs, and clearer focus. The goal isn’t zero WIP, it’s just enough to keep the team productive without introducing drag.
