Work in Progress

Definition of Work in Progress

Work in Progress is work items started but not yet finished.

Pronunciation Spelling

wurk in pruh-GRES

Example Sentence

Monitoring work in progress helps teams maintain efficient flow and and prevent overcommitment.”

Significance

Agile practitioners should be familiar with the term “Work in Progress” (WIP) because it refers to tasks or activities that have been started but are not yet finished. Understanding WIP is essential in agile methodologies to manage and limit the number of tasks being simultaneously worked on within a specific phase or stage of a workflow. By controlling WIP, teams can increase focus, reduce multitasking, identify bottlenecks, and improve overall workflow efficiency. Controlling WIP helps in maintaining a steady and manageable pace of work, facilitating smoother delivery and reducing the time items spend in queues.

Additional Resources

• Flow Metrics for Scrum Teams
• When Will It Be Done?: Lean-Agile Forecasting to Answer Your Customers’ Most Important Question
• 4 Key Flow Metrics and How to Use Them in Scrum’s Events
• Drunk Agile: Episode 13 - Metrics of Flow