TOO MUCH WORK-IN-PROGRESS (WIP) [en version]

🌱 I was reading the book name: “Making Work Visible EXPOSING TIME THEFT TO OPTIMIZE WORK & FLOW” And I want to share some context that I summarized about “TOO MUCH WORK-IN-PROGRESS” that’s I gained from this book through this blog. Let’s gooo…

Mmm, let me start with the top 5 reasons people give me when I ask why they take on more than they can handle :

1. We’re team players, bro — ‘I don’t wanna be the one who lets the squad down.’
2. We’re scared of being embarrassed — ‘I don’t wanna get my ass chewed out or fired.’ Saying yes is way easier than saying no, especially to the boss. Saying nope to your manager can be risky in some company cultures.
3. We get blinded by the new shiny thing — It’s just way more exciting than doing the boring grunt work needed to finish some complicated, unglamorous project.
4. We underestimate how big the ask really is until we start — ‘Oh yeah, no prob. I can knock that out in a couple hours,’ but then the task ends up taking way longer.
5. We’re people-pleasers — ‘I usually say yes to most asks cause I want people to like me, look up to me, respect me and all that.’

That’s a super interesting and It’s wild how much we’re motivated by that desire to please others and not be seen negatively. someone really nailed it — we care so much about managing others’ impressions of us. And you make an excellent point about how we often underestimate the subtle power dynamics at play when being asked to take something on.

I’ve absolutely been in those situations with too much on my plate because I couldn’t say no. Having every minute scheduled and still having a mountain of work piling up is such a stressful way to operate.

So that’s honestly a constant battle to set boundaries and protect us. But we have to get better at it for our own sanity and productivity. Whew, this was a much-needed reminder for me. What are your thoughts on how we can start pushing back more effectively?

Why Too Much WIP Matters and Why Too Much Unfinished Work Kills Your Productivity

Too much WIP matters for a number of reasons.Have you ever felt overloaded and paralyzed by too many tasks and projects going on at once? That feeling of being pulled in multiple directions is the result of too much “work in progress” or WIP. Excessive WIP can sabotage team productivity in several ways:

Delayed Delivery
When new tasks keep getting started before existing ones are finished, everything takes longer to complete. This delays delivering value and results to customers.

Higher Costs
The longer it takes to finish work, the more it costs in labor, operating expenses, and lost opportunities. Customers may grow impatient and take their business elsewhere if they have to wait too long.

Quality Issues
With too much juggling of tasks, work can become rushed, disorganized, and error-prone. Quality suffers when focus is divided.

Priority Conflicts
Having too many competing priorities makes it tough to allocate time and resources effectively. Important work gets delayed by constant interruptions and shifting directions.

Team Frustration
Bouncing between multiple unfinished initiatives is mentally draining. Teams can become demoralized and resentful when they can’t make real progress.

The more WIP loads up, the worse these challenges become. Limiting WIP creates focus, allowing teams to complete quality work efficiently before moving on to new tasks. Managing WIP levels keeps operations smooth and productive.

Say No to Productivity-Killing WIP

It leads to overloaded backlogs and unfinished jobs piling up endlessly as new work keeps getting started before existing tasks complete.
Important work gets delayed or fails to get adequate attention as you context switch between multiple competing priorities.
With attention divided across too many fronts, quality suffers and mistakes increase on rushed, unfocused work.

You lose satisfaction from that rewarding feeling of starting and completing tasks, leading to frustration and burnout.

The solution lies in utilizing techniques like Kanban that limit how much uncompleted WIP is allowed at any given time. Kanban uses visual “WIP limits” to prevent taking on more work than your capacity allows for finishing excellently.

Prep Implement Feedback Board

Instead of feeling obligated to say yes to every new request, embracing WIP limits empowers you to pause and say “Not right now, but it’s charged for completion as soon as capacity opens up.”

While difficult at first, learning to say “no” to excessive WIP is ultimately liberating. It brings focus back to completing outstanding work rather than perpetually starting more. Limit the unfinished work you permit yourself, and watch your productivity soar.

So, We must learn to say no to additional work when our schedules are full.

If you want to read the full content, you can buy this book from this: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Work-Visible-Exposing-Optimize/dp/1942788150