Most teams are slow not from a lack of effort but from too much started, unfinished work. Learn why excess work in progress destroys flow, how setting a WIP limit differs from actually reducing WIP, and how to burn an over-committed board down to its limit with a stop-starting, start-finishing swarming approach.
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Why too much work in progress quietly destroys flow — free to watch, no account needed.
What you'll learn
- Explain why excess work in progress lengthens cycle time, using Little's Law
- Distinguish setting a WIP limit from actively reducing work already over the limit
- Apply a stop-starting, start-finishing swarming technique to burn down excess WIP
- Reduce an over-committed team's WIP to its target without a disruptive hard stop
- Produce a one-page WIP Reduction Action Plan for your team
Syllabus
Why Work in Progress Is the Hidden Brake
Why too much work in progress quietly destroys flowFree preview
Setting a WIP limit is not the same as reducing WIP
Stop Starting, Start Finishing
The stop-starting, start-finishing discipline
Swarming to burn down excess WIP
Applying WIP Reduction to Real IT Work
A structured approach to reducing WIP without stalling delivery
Case study — the team with a limit of 6 but 14 in progress
Making WIP Reduction Stick
Building your WIP Reduction Action Plan
Common traps and anti-patterns to avoid