In Kanban, you can set WIP limits on both:
In Progress and Review
They should have separate limits, because they control different types of work.
Your slide says WIP limits are the maximum number of items allowed in each workflow stage, used to prevent overload and identify bottlenecks early.
Simple board example
| Column | Should it have WIP limit? | Example limit | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| To Do | Usually no strict limit | No limit / large limit | This is waiting work. |
| In Progress | Yes | 3 | Prevents team from starting too many tasks. |
| Review | Yes | 2 | Prevents review/testing from becoming overloaded. |
| Done | No | No limit | Finished work can accumulate. |
Best classroom answer
We set WIP limits on the active work columns, especially In Progress and Review.
In Progress limit controls how much work the team starts.
Review limit controls how much work is waiting for testing, approval, or feedback.
Example
Suppose the team has 4 people:
| Column | WIP limit |
|---|---|
| In Progress | 3 |
| Review | 2 |
This means:
- Maximum 3 items can be actively worked on.
- Maximum 2 items can wait in review.
- If Review already has 2 items, no one should move another item into Review until one item moves to Done.
Teaching line
In Kanban, we do not want many tasks half-finished. We want work to flow. So we limit active work in In Progress and Review to expose bottlenecks and help the team finish before starting more.
REF: AI Tools as is
