WIP meaning: work in progress

Work in progress, in one word

WIP is work in progress, meaning work that’s begun but not finished or ready yet. American English also says work in process, mostly about goods on a production line.

WIP on a draft

In a document’s title or file name, or in an email subject line, WIP means don’t review this as final. Share a WIP early. A plan is easier to change at 30% done than at 95%.

The label also protects the person who wrote it, because nobody can call a WIP wrong. The worst anyone can say is that it’s early.

WIP online

On social media, WIP marks unfinished artwork or a project that’s still under way. It’s usually written wip or #wip. Artists post WIPs to show a piece as it comes together, and to ask commenters to go easy on it.

Sharing a WIP by email

A WIP email works best when it says what feedback it wants and by when. Put that request in the first line, the way a BLUF email puts its bottom line at the top.

WIP tells people the work isn’t finished, while EOD or ASAP says when you need it back. Our plain-English jargon dictionary files all three among the time words.

A WIP you send to three teammates can get forwarded to a director, who sees it without any of the context. Put WIP in the file name, and the label goes wherever the file goes.

WIP on the balance sheet

In accounting, WIP is inventory that’s partway through production. It’s the cost of the raw materials, labor and overhead already put into goods that aren’t finished yet.

Billing by stage

On a long construction job, the client can be billed for WIP at set stages, such as when the work is 25% or 50% done. So the percentage on a site report is about money as well as time.

WIP limits on a kanban board

A WIP limit is the most tasks allowed in a kanban column at once. The rule is to finish work before you start more.

One software company’s guide to WIP limits shows a sample board where a column over its limit turns red. The same guide suggests keeping each task to 16 hours of work or less.

The permanent draft

Some documents stay WIP for good. A strategy deck labeled WIP in March is still WIP in November, now on version 7. Its file name is something like “plan_v7_FINAL_WIP”.

Too many WIPs

Ten things in progress means ten things not done, so a useful status update names the one item that will be finished this week. A desk covered in half-finished work is the oldest way to look busy at work.

WIP in a self-review

The yearly review is where WIP gets used the most. Every goal is in progress, and none of them is finished. For a goal that’s still WIP, name the part that’s done and give a date for the rest.

In our Self-Review game, you build your own review one line at a time and try to hit HR’s targets.

An email sharing a WIP

Subject: Pricing page copy, WIP not finished

Hi team, sharing the draft before Thursday’s review. The headline and the plan table are close. The FAQ is still placeholder text, so please don’t send it to legal yet.