In Kanban, which statement best describes work-in-progress (WIP) limits?

In Kanban, which statement best describes work-in-progress (WIP) limits?

• A. WIP limits are optional
• B. WIP limits are central to Kanban
• C. WIP limits are irrelevant
• D. WIP limits apply only to development work

Answer: (B)

In Kanban, the key idea is to manage flow by constraining how much work sits in progress. WIP limits set the maximum number of items allowed in each stage of the workflow, which forces a pull system: teams start new work only when capacity exists. This keeps work moving smoothly, surfaces bottlenecks when a stage is saturated, and helps stabilize lead times. Because of this, WIP limits are central to Kanban—they define how work advances through the board and enable predictable delivery. Without them, work piles up, causing longer cycle times and more context switching. And WIP limits apply across the whole value stream, not just development, capturing all ongoing work in the process.

In Kanban, the key idea is to manage flow by constraining how much work sits in progress. WIP limits set the maximum number of items allowed in each stage of the workflow, which forces a pull system: teams start new work only when capacity exists. This keeps work moving smoothly, surfaces bottlenecks when a stage is saturated, and helps stabilize lead times. Because of this, WIP limits are central to Kanban—they define how work advances through the board and enable predictable delivery. Without them, work piles up, causing longer cycle times and more context switching. And WIP limits apply across the whole value stream, not just development, capturing all ongoing work in the process.