Work in Progress

Work in progress (WIP) is everything that has been started but not yet finished at a given moment, such as half-built orders or jobs waiting on the next step. High work in progress often looks productive but usually means lots of things are sitting around part-done.

It is like having ten meals half-cooked on the stove at once: plenty of activity, yet nothing is actually served. Managing work in progress matters because starting fewer things and finishing them faster gets real work out the door sooner, whereas piles of unfinished work hide delays and tie up cash.