Work in Progress Limit

5 minutes 5 Questions

The Work in Progress (WIP) Limit is an important metric that dictates the maximum amount of work that can exist in the various stages of the workflow. It is firmly rooted in the principles of Lean and Kanban and is effectively used in the Scrum framework as well. Using a WIP limit helps teams to li…

A Complete Guide: Understanding the Importance of Work in Progress Limit

The Work in Progress Limit or WIP Limit is a strategy used in Scrum methodologies to regulate the flow of work by limiting the number of work items in the various stages of the process. Its main goal is to reduce the time it takes for work items to move through the system.

Importance of WIP Limits: WIP Limits are crucial as they prevent the team from over-committing to work. They ensure focus, clarity and fast feedback cycles. Moreover, they help in identifying bottlenecks and hindrances in the workflow.

How WIP Limits Work: A WIP Limit is typically set for each stage of the process. The limit is the maximum number of work items that can be in that stage at a given time. When a limit is reached, no new work items can be introduced until others are finished and moved to the next stage.

When answering questions on WIP Limits in exams, following tips might come in handy:

Exam Tips:
1. Understand the concept thoroughly; ensure you know why WIP limits are set and how they benefit the team.
2. Use real-world examples to demonstrate comprehension.
3. Remember that WIP limits are not about speed, but about efficiency and quality.
4. In case studies or scenarios, identify situations where WIP limits could be beneficial and explain why.
5. If asked to suggest a WIP limit, consider the team size, stage of the project, and nature of the work.

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CSM - Work in Progress Limit Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Work in Progress Limit

Question 1

Your scrum team often has to work late to finish tasks because they exceed the Work In Progress (WIP) limit. However, the team is resistant to lowering the limit because they're used to working overtime. What's the best course of action as a Scrum Master?

Organize a series of workshops on time management and efficient practices to improve productivity without directly addressing the WIP limit. Implement a gradual decrease in the WIP limit while monitoring the team's adaptation and discussing observed improvements and challenges. Introduce an entirely new project management framework to address the underlying issues, even though it requires significant changes to current processes and may lead to initial confusion and resistance. Suggest the team to split into smaller groups focusing on specific tasks to manage the workload more efficiently without changing the WIP limit.

Correct Answer: Implement a gradual decrease in the WIP limit while monitoring the team's adaptation and discussing observed improvements and challenges.

The best course of action involves directly addressing the issue at hand (WIP limits) while engaging the team in the process to ensure their buy-in and understanding. Lowering the WIP limit gradually helps the team adapt without overwhelming them and enables discussion about the benefits and challenges encountered, hence facilitating continuous improvement. The wrong answers either avoid directly addressing the problem, suggest overly broad solutions that may not solve the specific issue, or propose drastic measures that could disrupt the team's work without guaranteed success in solving the current problem.

Question 2

Your scrum team is currently working on 5 items, but the WIP limit is set to 4. How should you handle it?

The team should complete one of the items before picking up a new one. The team should complete all items simultaneously, regardless of the WIP limit. The team should increase the WIP limit to 5 permanently. The team should ignore the WIP limit in this case.

Correct Answer: The team should complete one of the items before picking up a new one.

The correct response is 'The team should complete one of the items before picking up a new one.' The Work In Progress (WIP) limit is a key principle in Scrum and other agile methodologies, and it's used to prevent teams from overloading themselves with too many tasks simultaneously, thus causing inefficiency and waste. Ignoring the WIP limit or simply increasing it permanently to match the current amount of work is against this principle. It enables the team to take on more work than they can handle, and can lead to an unsustainable working pace, reduced quality, and burnout. Completing all items simultaneously, regardless of the WIP limit, is also not correct since it tries to ignore the purpose of the WIP limit. Therefore, the team should finish one of the current items before starting something new, ensuring they respect the WIP limit and promote focus, flow, and sustainability.

Question 3

In the middle of a sprint, a team member gets sick causing the team to exceed their WIP limit, what should the ScrumMaster do?

Allow for the natural variance in work capacity, and work with the team to adjust the WIP limit if absences become a common issue. Demand other team members to work overtime to cover for the sick team member. Stop the sprint and start a new one. Ignore the issue and hope the team member recovers soon.

Correct Answer: Allow for the natural variance in work capacity, and work with the team to adjust the WIP limit if absences become a common issue.

In the middle of a sprint, if a team member gets sick causing the team to exceed their WIP (Work In Progress) limit, the best approach by the 'Scrum master' would be to allow for the natural variance in work capacity. The Scrum Master should work with the team to adjust the WIP limit if absences become a common issue. This approach respects the principles of Agile and Scrum by allowing teams to self-organize and adjust to realities of work, rather than forcing overtime on other team members or restarting the sprint which will ruin the rhythm of the team's sprint cycle. Also, ignoring the issue is not effective Scrum mastering. It does not address the issue and it doesn't show the scrum master's role of being a facilitator and resolver of blockers.

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