[[flow metrics]] [[Agile Development]]
# Work In Progress
## definition
the total number of work items that have been **started – but not yet finished** – at any given point in time
## calculation
you have to have a defined "start" and "finish" line that the WIP is caught in between
```mermaid
graph LR;
Todo[To Do] --> a[ ] --> b[ ] --> c[ ] --> Done;
class a,b,c orange;
classDef orange fill: orange;
```
## relationships
WIP is a leading indicator of [[cycle time]]
## visuals
WIP over time ([[time series]])
![[WIP time chart.jpg]]
WIP aging time by category
![[WIP aging chart.jpg]]
cumulative flow diagram - a [[stacked area chart]] amount of WIP in all categories over time
![[cumulative flow diagram.jpg]]