noun

WIP

wip

WIP (noun) means Work in progress: something started but not finished, posted or shared in its unfinished state. Example: “Here's a WIP of the album cover, colours still to come.”

noun

Work in progress: something started but not finished, posted or shared in its unfinished state.

"Here's a WIP of the album cover, colours still to come."

"The pull request is a WIP, please don't merge it yet."

technical In accounting and manufacturing, partly finished goods sitting on the production line, counted as an asset until completed.

"Rising WIP inventory tied up cash for most of the quarter."

technical In agile and kanban working, the number of tasks being worked on at once, which teams cap to keep things moving.

"We set a WIP limit of three cards per column."

How to Use WIP

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomething you have started but not finished yet.

When to use it

Written in capitals; pronounced as a word rather than spelled out. Used as a label on artwork, code branches and documents, and as a self-deprecating tag for anything imperfect.

Memory tip

Prefixing a pull request title with "WIP:" is a standard convention meaning "review welcome, do not merge".

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

MVP → draft → beta →

Common pairings

WIP limit a WIP still a WIP WIP inventory mark as WIP

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Test yourself on “WIP” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Here's a _____ of the album cover, colours still to come.

Etymology

An initialism of work in progress.

Origin: English

Synonyms

View more →

draft rough unfinished piece

Antonyms

finished piece final

Related Words

last final design difficult write finish wind ill

Frequently Asked Questions

What does WIP mean?

Work in progress. Artists and developers use it to label something that is deliberately unfinished, so viewers know they are seeing an in-between state.

What is a WIP limit?

A cap on how many tasks a team allows to be in progress at once. Kanban teams use it because too many part-finished jobs slow everything down; finishing beats starting.

Is it WIP or W.I.P.?

WIP, without full stops. It is normally said as a single word rhyming with "tip" rather than letter by letter.

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