Stop Starting. Start Finishing: WIP Limits that Work
A flat, blue-toned illustration shows loose sticky notes on the left narrowing through a funnel into clean, parallel lanes that flow right to a checkmark. It visually represents turning busyness into focus and throughput—finishing what matters.
A concept-first way to trade busyness for throughput
“Stop starting. Start finishing. Flow beats frenzy—every time.” — Eric Wiley
Busyness hides what matters
Most teams look busy and feel behind. That’s not a talent problem—it’s a flow problem. Too many things start. Too few things finish. The lever isn’t more energy; it’s less simultaneous work.
What WIP limits are (and aren’t)
WIP = Work in Process. A WIP limit caps how many things can be actively worked at once. It isn’t a punishment or a slowdown—it’s a promise: “We’ll finish what we start before we start more.”
Why leaders use limits
- Focus beats friction: fewer active items → faster finishes.
- Bottlenecks get visible: when a stage fills, you can finally fix it.
- Predictability rises: stable flow reduces fire drills and rework.
- Quality improves: attention isn’t split across ten half-done tasks.
Leadership plays (no choreography required)
- Prioritize out loud: name the few items that matter now—and what waits.
- Protect attention: meetings and side quests count as work; limit them too.
- Finish culture: celebrate completions, not starts. Done is the scoreboard.
- Right-to-left thinking: look at what’s closest to done and help it cross the line.
Simple signals to watch
- Cycle time: how long things take from start to finish—should trend down.
- Throughput: how many finish per week—should trend steadier.
- WIP count: how much is open—should stay intentionally low.
A light two-week trial
Week 1: Publicly cap “in progress,” finish what’s oldest, and talk priority daily for 10 minutes.
Week 2: Hold the cap, reduce one recurring blocker, and compare cycle time and completions to last week.
Guardrails
- One owner per item.
- No stealth work. If it isn’t visible, it isn’t work.
- Respect the cap. If everything is urgent, nothing is.
Bottom line
WIP limits are a leadership choice: less at once so more gets done. Put a ceiling on chaos and you’ll create flow, clarity, and results.
— Eric Wiley
Wiley Performance Advisory
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