Often, work-in-progress is used as a socially acceptable term for pending work.
“Oh, that’s still a work in progress.” We are working on it. — I’ve heard people say that a lot.
We don’t want to call it what it really is – procrastination.
While WIP and pending work may seem similar, they are actually quite different. WIP is classified differently than pending work because it meets specific requirements. Therefore, WIP generally takes precedence over pending work.
WIP is any task or activity that has started but has yet to be completed. WIP can include anything from pieces of a project that are still being worked on to tasks that have been assigned. To be classified as WIP, the work must meet specific criteria. For example, it must be something for which, What, Who, When & How have been defined and has a clear purpose or goal.
Pending work, on the other hand, is unscheduled and overdue work. Unlike WIP, pending work does not have any specific criteria to be met for it to be classified. As a result, pending work can range from simple tasks forgotten about to more complex projects that have been procrastinated on.
Still, both WIP and pending work can be harmful to productivity. This is because they can both lead to waste. The 7 wastes are Taiichi Ohno’s categorization of the seven significant wastes typically found in mass production.
WIP can become overwhelming, causing people to put off starting work on it. And pending work can be forgotten about entirely, leading to even more work piling up.
Read Who Is Lean Management For?
The best way to avoid the harmful effects of WIP and pending work is to keep on top of your schedule and stick to it. Avoid work piling up and getting overwhelmed.
So, the next time someone asks you about that project you’ve been working on for weeks, you can tell them the truth. It’s not a work in progress; it’s pending work. And you’re procrastinating.
Take a step back and consider if you’re putting off what needs to be done.
We are not linear beings living linear lives. We are dimensional beings living dimensional lives. This means that work-in-progress and pending work are not the only two options we have when it comes to our work. We also have the option of doing nothing.
Yes, doing nothing is a valid option. Sometimes it’s the best option. When we’re overwhelmed with work-in-progress and pending work, taking a break can be just what we need to get back on track.
So, the next time you feel like you can’t handle any more work, don’t hesitate to take a step back and do nothing. You’ll be surprised at how refreshed you feel after a little break. You may even find that you can approach your work with a fresh perspective once you’re done!
If it’s a work-in-progress, then go ahead and complete it on time. But if it’s pending work, you might want to think twice before putting it off any longer. After all, procrastination leads to waste. And that’s not something anyone wants!
At Vineet Sethi Consulting, we believe that Business and People are two sides of the same coin. Our approach to transforming organizations, teams, and individuals is based on Standard Customization, stemming from the philosophy that no one size fits all.
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