Items or tasks that have been started but not yet completed in a workflow or production system. Managing WIP levels is crucial for optimizing flow and identifying bottlenecks.
Combination of 'work' (Old English 'weorc'), 'in' (Old English), and 'progress' (Latin 'progressus', forward movement). The phrase formalized in manufacturing and accounting in the early 20th century.
Work-in-progress is like juggling - the more balls you try to keep in the air, the more likely you are to drop them all. Toyota discovered that limiting work-in-progress actually increases total output because it forces you to solve problems instead of just adding more work!
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