{"id":17983,"date":"2020-04-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/how-wip-limits-can-rescue-troubled-agile-teams\/"},"modified":"2020-04-15T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-15T05:00:00","slug":"how-wip-limits-can-rescue-troubled-agile-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/how-wip-limits-can-rescue-troubled-agile-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"How WIP Limits Can Rescue Troubled Agile Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In theory, agile is an approach and mindset that helps teams respond more effectively to change, and exploit (rather than avoid) continuous feedback loops to deliver products faster, better, cheaper, and with greater customer satisfaction. What’s not to love about this?<\/p>\n

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Yet in practice, many agile teams are struggling rather than thriving — and more than a few have hoisted the white flag of surrender (or are seriously thinking about it). However, the roots of what seems like an anti-agile backlash isn’t rooted in the concept of agile itself. Rather, it’s triggered by a common problem: agile team overload.<\/p>\n

Indeed, one of the first things that agile teams must do to succeed — or even more pragmatically, to survive — is grow comfortable saying “no” to an endless stream of requests (which are often orders disguised as requests). Naturally, this is easier said than done. But it’s not optional. Agile teams that can’t hit the brakes on requests and expectations end up starting far too many tasks projects, and finishing far too few of them.<\/p>\n

As a result, an excessive amount of work is being done, but there isn’t enough productivity and results. Tragically, this usually leads to even more requests, which clogs the bandwidth even further. Sooner or later, the work experience is characterized by burnout, chaos and chronic under-performance.<\/p>\n

But as noted, the problem isn’t with agile itself. Instead, it’s because there’s too much starting work, and not enough finishing work. That’s where work in progress (WIP) limits ride to the rescue, and transform agile teams from troubled to triumphant.<\/p>\n

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