ABSTRACT
Work-in-process (or “WIP”) is work which has been started but not finished. Every project that is started but not finished or canceled has WIP associated with it. The pile of half-written or half-read documents sitting on your desk or nightstand, the partially built cabinets in the bathroom, the new computer hardware sitting on the floor — all are WIP. As we will see, the more WIP that exists in a system, the longer it takes work entering a system to leave. Excessive amounts of WIP can have a big negative impact on quality and time-to-market, which in turn can significantly affect ability to compete in most markets.
