VS-14
WIP Concentrated on Non-Critical Path
Value Stream Graph
Default severity: medium
PrioritizationProcessOutputRisk
What it detects
The majority of in-progress work is on branches of the delivery graph that are NOT on the critical path — the team is busy but not working on what will determine the initiative\'s delivery date. critical_path_nodes = compute_critical_path(G) active_issues = issues WHERE status IN active_statuses critical_active = \[I
Detection formula
FOR I IN active_issues IF I IN critical_path_nodes\] IF critical_active / total_active \< config.graph.min_critical_path_wip_share // default: 0.5 THEN FLAG wip_misaligned_to_critical_path Report: critical vs non-critical active WIP counts and issue keysExamples in practice
- Dependency links or initiative graph paths are missing, cyclic, or blocked.
- Downstream work waits on unresolved upstream dependencies.
- A team shows the majority of in-progress work is on branches of the delivery graph that are not on the critical path while min critical path wip share is set to 0.5.
Suggested response
Repair dependency and initiative graph links so delivery paths and handoffs are explicit.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
The majority of in-progress work is on branches of the delivery graph that are NOT on the critical path — the team is busy but not working on what will determine the initiative\'s delivery date. critical_path_nodes = compute_critical_path(G) active_issues = issues WHERE status IN active_statuses critical_active = \[I
Why it matters
When "WIP Concentrated on Non-Critical Path" keeps appearing, the team is signalling a repeatable process gap. Left unexamined, the pattern hides where work really stalls and makes improvement metrics harder to trust.
What you can achieve
Repair dependency and initiative graph links so delivery paths and handoffs are explicit.
Facilitation questions
- What system change would stop "WIP Concentrated on Non-Critical Path" from firing again?
- What do the cited issues have in common — same root cause or same workaround?
- Who owns the two-week experiment and how will we verify on the next import?
Run this rule against your own tracker data with Flow Analyzer.