CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005)Project Management ConceptsHard
A project manager is using a Kanban board to manage the workflow for a marketing campaign. The team has established a Work In Progress (WIP) limit of 3 for the 'In Review' column. The project manager notices that there are currently 5 items in 'In Review', and new items are still being moved into this column from 'In Progress'. What is the most immediate action the project manager should take?
- AStop moving new items into 'In Review' and focus on clearing the existing backlog in that column.
- BReassign team members from 'In Progress' to assist with tasks in 'To Do'.
- CIncrease the WIP limit for the 'In Review' column to 5.
- DMove the excess items directly to the 'Done' column to clear the bottleneck.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Stop moving new items into 'In Review' and focus on clearing the existing backlog in that column.
The core principle of Kanban is to limit Work In Progress (WIP) to identify and address bottlenecks. When a WIP limit is exceeded, the immediate action is to stop pulling new work into that stage and focus all efforts on clearing the bottleneck until the WIP limit is respected again. This highlights the problem and forces resolution.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Reassigning team members to 'To Do' does not address the current bottleneck in 'In Review' and might exacerbate the issue by creating more 'In Progress' items.
- C. Increasing the WIP limit avoids addressing the underlying bottleneck and undermines the purpose of Kanban.
- D. Moving items directly to 'Done' without proper review compromises quality and circumvents the process.
Kanban WIP Limits
A core practice in Kanban that restricts the number of items in a specific workflow stage. This helps manage flow, prevent bottlenecks, and encourages teams to finish work before starting new tasks.
- Limits work in progress for each column/stage.
- Helps identify bottlenecks and improve flow.
- Forces focus on completing tasks.
Memory trick: Visualize, Limit, Manage, Improve, Feedback, Collaborate.