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WIP keeps building up

Find where work piles up between operations.

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01 · What is usually happening?

Jobs are started to keep machines busy, not because the next step is ready. Semi-finished parts pile up in front of the slowest operation and the floor looks full and productive.

Cash, space and time are tied up in half-made work, and finished goods still ship late.

The question people usually ask“Why is so much work half done?”
The more useful question“Where does work wait the longest, and why do we start more before finishing what is there?”
02 · Common causes
  1. 01Jobs are released without checking the next operation
  2. 02The slowest step is not scheduled first
  3. 03Batch sizes are larger than needed
  4. 04Changeovers push people to run big lots
  5. 05Quality holds park parts mid-process
  6. 06Nobody counts work in progress
03 · What to check now0 of 6 checked
Open Late Order Root Cause Check →Send checklist on WhatsApp
04 · What good looks like
  1. 01Jobs are released at the pace of the slowest step.
  2. 02Work in progress is counted weekly.
  3. 03Batch sizes match the order.
  4. 04The oldest job is named and has an owner.
  5. 05Queues in front of each operation have a limit.
05 · Where this connects

This rarely stays in one department

What it can lead to: Cash and space are lost to unfinished work while deliveries still slip.

Start from a problem
Work flows left to right, top to bottomKEYMost important for manufacturing

These support every part of the business

Problem

WIP keeps building up

Usually connected to

How it spreads

  1. Production

What it can lead to: Cash and space are lost to unfinished work while deliveries still slip.

Read the guide →Late Order Root Cause Check
lamplamp could show the queue in front of each operation.
06 · Related processesProduction plan to output
07 · Useful toolsDiagnosticLate Order Root Cause CheckChecklistDaily Production Review
Related guidesHow to identify production bottlenecks
08 · lamp

lamp could keep this moving

lamp is not available yet. These are things it is being built to do.

See how lamp worksJoin the waitlist
  • lamp could show the queue in front of each operation.
  • lamp could flag a job released before its next step is ready.
  • lamp could list the oldest jobs on the floor.
  • lamp could report the cash held in work in progress.
Does your business handle this differently?Tell us what we have missed: a cause, a check, or a better way of handling it.
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