Work In Progress Limit

5 minutes 5 Questions

Work In Progress (WIP) Limit is a rule that limits the maximum amount of work items in the different stages of the workflow. By establishing a WIP limit, team members are unable to take on more work than they can handle, which helps to keep the workflow balanced and prevent bottlenecks. This method…

Guide: Work-In-Progress Limit in Kanban Methodology

Work in Progress (WIP) Limit is a strategy used in the Kanban methodology to limit the amount of work in the 'in-progress' state. The main idea is to prevent overproduction and promote focused work by stripping away the concept of multi-tasking.
Two important reasons why WIP limits are crucial are:
1. Workflow Management: Since only a specific amount of tasks can be 'in progress', workloads are managed better as team members focus on completing these tasks before taking up new ones.
2. Improving Efficiency: WIP limits help in identifying bottlenecks in the system. This allows you to solve problems and streamline the process.

In terms of how a WIP Limit works in a Kanban system, the limit is set for each workflow stage. The number of tasks in a particular stage must then always be less than or equal to this limit.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Work In Progress Limit
If asked about WIP limits in an exam, remember:
1. The purpose of a WIP limit is to prevent overproduction and increase productivity.
2. WIP limits lower multitasking and increase focus on the task at hand.
3. WIP limits allow for easier identification and rectification of bottlenecks.

It's important to keep these points in mind when asked about the concept or when given a problem scenario that involves WIP limits, especially in project management frameworks like Kanban.

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PMI-ACP - Work In Progress Limit Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Work In Progress Limit

Question 1

During a daily Scrum meeting, a team member mentions that they are unable to pick up a new task because the WIP limit has been met. The tasks currently in progress are blocked due to an external dependency. As a Scrum Master, how do you respond?

Tell them to help other teams until the tasks are unblocked. Increase the WIP limit temporarily so they can take up new tasks. Talk with the team about the situation and identify potential actions to unblock current tasks while respecting the WIP limit. Advise them to take a break until the tasks are unblocked.

Correct Answer: Talk with the team about the situation and identify potential actions to unblock current tasks while respecting the WIP limit.

The ideal response of a Scrum Master to this issue would be to discuss it with the team to identify potential actions to unblock current tasks while respecting the WIP limit. This promotes collective responsibility and problem-solving, a key aspect of Scrum methodology. The other three options presented fail to fully address the issue at hand. Increasing the WIP limit temporarily may seem to resolve the issue in the short term, but it disregards the purpose of having a WIP limit, which is to maintain focus and prevent overloading. Telling the team member to help other teams or to take a break until the tasks are unblocked subcontracts responsibility, avoiding the actual problem instead of addressing it.

Question 2

If the Scrum team constantly seems relaxed and completes their tasks earlier in the sprint cycle, hinting that the WIP limit could be increased. As a Scrum Master, how do you respond?

Perform a retrospective to understand if the limit can be increased without compromising the quality and stress levels of the team. Immediately increase the WIP limit. Advise the team to take some time off and relax for the rest of the sprint. Ignore the team's pace and maintain the existing WIP limit.

Correct Answer: Perform a retrospective to understand if the limit can be increased without compromising the quality and stress levels of the team.

The best answer is 'Perform a retrospective to understand if the limit can be increased without compromising the quality and stress levels of the team.' A retrospective is a key component of Scrum that allows the team to self-organize and adapt their processes, including potentially adjusting their Work In Progress (WIP) limit. This approach promotes sustainable development and ensures the team doesn't burn out or compromise on quality. On the other hand, 'Immediately increase the WIP limit' could lead to stress and quality issues, so it's not a good approach. 'Ignore the team's pace and maintain the existing WIP limit' doesn't account for the team's adaptability, a key value in Scrum. Lastly, 'Advise the team to take some time off and relax for the rest of the sprint' isn't the best approach as it doesn't make the best use of the team's capabilities, and doesn't promote the principle of continuous improvement.

Question 3

At the end of a sprint, you notice that despite not exceeding the WIP limit, many items are left in an 'almost done' state. What does this imply and how do you address it as a Scrum Master?

This suggests that the Definition of Done might not be fully understood or consistently applied across all team members. The team should collaboratively review and possibly refine their Definition of Done. Implying that the Product Backlog items were not properly refined before the sprint, leading to ambiguity in the tasks. It's advisable to spend more time on backlog refinement sessions to ensure clarity and feasibility of the backlog items for future sprints. This is a detailed process that requires close collaboration between the product owner, the development team, and the scrum master to ensure that each backlog item is understood by the team, feasible within a sprint, and valuable to the product. It could indicate that the sprint planning was not effective, and the team has overcommitted. In response, working on improving the accuracy of sprint planning could be beneficial. This might point to a lack of effective collaboration within the team. Encouraging pair programming or mob programming for complex tasks could enhance teamwork and task completion.

Correct Answer: This suggests that the Definition of Done might not be fully understood or consistently applied across all team members. The team should collaboratively review and possibly refine their Definition of Done.

Leaving many items in an 'almost done' state suggests issues with the team's understanding or application of the Definition of Done, rather than simply the number of items they've taken on or the complexity of tasks. It's crucial for the team to have a shared understanding of what 'done' means, so that they can effectively plan and execute their work to completion within a sprint. Refinement of the Definition of Done, effective collaboration practices, and improved backlog refinement are all potential actions but improving the clarity and application of the Definition of Done is most directly related to resolving the issue at hand.

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