How do we determine the ideal Work in Progress (WIP) limits for a newly formed Kanban team?

All answers to this question.

There is no magic number, but a great starting point is "Number of People + 1." This allows for some flexibility while still forcing a focus on finishing work. The goal of a WIP limit is to make bottlenecks visible. If a column is always at its limit, that is where your process is breaking down. I recommend starting high and gradually lowering the limit until you feel the "tension." When the team starts complaining that they have nothing to do because the "Testing" column is full, you’ve successfully identified that you need more testing capacity, not more development.

   Answered 2024-03-16 by Mary Cunningham

Have you analyzed your "Aging Work" report yet? Sometimes the issue isn't the number of items, but the fact that certain complex tickets are hogging a WIP slot for weeks while smaller tasks are blocked.

   Answered 2024-03-20 by William Peterson

• Use the "Stop Starting, Start Finishing" mantra. Lower your WIP limits aggressively for one week and watch what happens to your cycle time. It’s a fast way to learn.

     Commented 2024-03-25 by Linda Foster

Use the "Stop Starting, Start Finishing" mantra. Lower your WIP limits aggressively for one week and watch what happens to your cycle time. It’s a fast way to learn.

   Answered 2024-03-25 by Linda Foster

• I agree, Linda. It sounds counterintuitive to developers to do "less" work at once, but the throughput increases significantly once the multitasking overhead is removed.

     Commented 2024-03-27 by Robert Harrison