Introduction to Limits

Once you visualized the flow it’s time to optimize it. The App has 2 solutions helping you fine tune the flow and identify areas of improvements. They are the following:

• Work-in-Progress Limits to identify unnecessaries queueing, buffering and therefore waiting time due not balanced multitasking.

• Aging (Cycle Time) Limits to identify tasks that are stuck in the flow that most probably gonna break expectations of deliveries or more formal SLO (Service Level Objectives)

Next sections outline both functionalities in all the details.

Work-in-Progress (WIP) limits

The App provides ultimate flexibility in configuring Work-in-Progress (WIP) limits, namely

• per columns, swimlanes and their intersections

• column groups

• personal WIPs (board level limits)

Here you can watch a small video find out some details.

WIPs per columns, swimlanes and their intersections

To make it for Swimlanes click Swimlane “Edit“. In popup dialog you can specify Min and Max values as well as color code how you want to highlight swimlanes for exceeding the limits.

To do the same for columns click on Column “Edit”. The functionality is the same if you want WIP limits for entire column. But you can also make it more granular and define WIP limits per swimlanes in the column. For this click on “WIP by swimlane“ toggle.

WIPs per column groups

Once you have your group defined you can now assign a Combined WIP. Click “Edit“ icon of the group to select Min/Max and appropriate color coding.

Since you might have multiple WIPs applied with different color coding the order how different WIPs are applied is the following:

1. Group WIPs

2. Column WIPs / with Swimlane WIPs

3. Swimlane WIPs

Personal WIPs (Board level limits)

You can also configure individual WIPs for users. To do so click on “Personal WIP“ in the menu ribbon

Select Min, Max color coding you would like to use for limits exemption as well as columns you would to limit. From the list of available users please add people and specify individual min/max limit numbers

Click Save.

Personal WIP menu items will change to show the number of users that are subject for the limit control and for how many users the limits are exceeded.

By clicking on the icon with Exceeded user you will see the details on

• Who exceeded?

• what limits - min or max?

• by how much?

Once you click on “Exceeded user“ the user filter will be automatically applied for the board for you to see only this user issues. This is aligned with assignee filter (assignee carousell) meaning once you click on “exceeded user“ assignee filter for this user will apply automatically

To clear the filter click on it again or click on user avatar in assignee carousell.

Aging or Cycle Time limits

Comparing to WIP limits that are about issue count aging/cycle time limits are about the time issue sits in specific column/column group.

Show on the card?

To outline your Aging/Cycle time limits status on the card click on Settings > Card layout.

Turn on Aging Limits and decide if you want to count w/e as well.

Once you get it set you will see dots on the card under user avatar:

• Red if at least one red aging limit is exceeded

• Yellow if at least one amber aging limit is exceeded (and no red limit exceeded)

• Otherwise Green

Once you put mouse over it you will see all the detail.

Aging limits per column/swimlane

Click Edit for any column you want to change. Navigate to limits section.

You can specify Amber Limit and Red Limit in hours, days, weeks.

If you want to do it per swimlane within column select appropriate toggle and select swimlanes you want to control.

Aging limits per column group/swimlane

The same level configuration could be done for column groups. Click Edit on any column group and navigate to limits section to do similar configurations you did for columns.

Board level Aging Limits

In addition to Aging/Cycle Time limits for columns/groups you can define board level limits - aka define aggregated limit of time you wan the tickets sit in selected columns.

To make it done we renamed Personal WIP configuration to make it Board Limits were you now have 2 tabs - 1) Personal WIPs applied to board and 2) Aging/Cycle Time applied to the board as well.

When you click on it and select Aging tab you would need to turn on “Enable Aging limit“ toggle.

Now you can define:

• what columns you want to add to calculation

• amber limit (if applicable)

• red limit (if applicable)

Once you add it the counter close to Board Limits will increase to +1 or +2 appropriately.

Such configuration will also enable green/yellow/red dots on the issue cards signaling if any of the limits met. Once you move over it you will see all the limits exceeded with details.

Alerts on Return Counters

Managing aging/cycle time is good to understand how you can improve the throughput. To understand why cycle time is more than expected and/or check how efficient your flow is .. it’s recommended to manage returns to the columns (or ping-pong between columns).

Show on the card?

To outline your Aging/Cycle time limits status on the card click on Settings > Card layout.

Turn on Returns to get a return counter on the right bottom corner of your card.

• if it’s Zero it will be Greyed out

• otherwise you see a number of Returns in Black

• in case of alert (missing some of the limits) …

Returns limits per column/swimlane

Click Edit for any column you want to change. Navigate to limits section.

You can specify Amber Limit and Red Limits for returns.

If you want to do it per swimlane within column select appropriate toggle and select swimlanes you want to control.

Returns limits per column group/swimlane

The same level configuration could be done for column groups. Click Edit on any column group and navigate to limits section to do similar configurations you did for columns.

Board level Returns Limits

In addition to Return limits for columns/groups you can define board level limits - aka define aggregate limit of returns to selected columns as a whole.