Episode 2: WIP Limits on the Taskboard

Ada: Hello and welcome to Redmine in Everyday Projects! I'm your host Ada.

Miles: And I'm Miles. The jingle gave it away: the line is free and we're in.

Ada: As always, first things first: the two of us aren't real people, we're AI voices. The content comes from the AlphaNodes team. So, time to plug in your headphones.

Miles: Right then, Ada! What kept you busy this week?

Ada: WIP limits on the Redmine Taskboard.

Miles: WIP limits. Hm. Don't need them. I've only got seven tickets in progress.

Ada: Hold on. Only seven?

Miles: Feels like I'm working on all of them at once...

Ada: ...and actually finishing none of them.

Miles: Busted. Fine, go on then: what is a WIP limit?

Ada: WIP stands for work in progress, so work that has been started. The limit says how many tickets should sit in a column of the Taskboard at the same time. If In Progress holds eight tickets and the limit is five, the number turns red.

Miles: Hm. And then what?

Ada: Then it means: before anyone starts something new, something gets finished first.

Miles: Hang on. Five tickets at once feels like getting more done!

Ada: You know when you've got twenty tabs open in your browser and music is playing somewhere?

Miles: And you can't find the tab.

Ada: That's exactly it. Every switch costs time. You read yourself back in, look for where you left off, try to remember why you did it that way. With seven open tickets, you do that all day.

Miles: Okay, but the customer can see that things are happening everywhere, right?

Ada: Well! A ticket that's ninety percent done is worth just as much to them as one nobody has started. It's like jumping ninety percent of the way across a stream.

Miles: Wet feet. Got it. Now the big question: what's the right number?

Ada: Good question, Miles. A good starting point is the number of people working in that column, plus one. So five for four people. That's roughly two tasks each, with a bit of room in case someone gets stuck.

Miles: And then it stays like that forever?

Ada: No. Watch the board for a few weeks. If you break the limit all the time and nobody minds, it's too low, or nobody takes it seriously. If you never reach it, you don't need it.

Miles: Tell me, is it worth it for every column?

Ada: Not every one, no. Mainly for In Progress and for Review. Review is often the real bottleneck.

Miles: Of course. Reviewing is like emptying the dishwasher. It has to be done, but nobody wants to.

Ada: Couldn't have put it better.

Miles: Okay, let's say the column turns red. I'll just raise the limit and everything's fine again, right?

Ada: Oh dear! That's like putting tape over the fuel gauge.

Miles: I was afraid you'd say that. So what do I do instead?

Ada: Simply ask why the tickets aren't moving. Usually one has been waiting days for feedback, or two are actually blocked and nobody said so. By the way, a red lock on a card shows that another open ticket is in its way.

Miles: One more question: who sets the limit? The project manager?

Ada: Ideally the whole team, together. A number one person decides on alone just stays a red digit everyone ignores.

Miles: So, if I got this right: start fewer things at once, begin with people plus one, and when the column turns red, don't raise the limit, look at what's stuck.

Ada: Exactly. And set the limit together as a team.

Miles: Sounds doable! How to set the limit on the Taskboard is explained step by step on the blog at alphanodes.com.

Ada: You'll find regular stories from everyday projects there, plus ideas on how to get the most out of the AlphaNodes plugins.

Miles: The AlphaNodes team develops plugins for Redmine and runs Redmine for companies, on servers in Germany and the EU.

Ada: And finally, a tip, so listen up!

Miles: The Taskboard with WIP limits is part of the AlphaNodes Reporting plugin. It also brings dashboards, reports, roadmaps and service level tracking to your projects.

Ada: The Reporting plugin is available on its own or as part of an AlphaNodes bundle. And you can try everything in the AlphaNodes online demo, no installation needed.

Miles: Thanks for listening! And you know what, Ada? I'm moving six of my seven tickets back to the queue.

Ada: And finishing one. Bye from Ada and Miles.