WIP Limit Traffic Jam

Little's Law is the mathematical foundation of flow: Average Lead Time = Average WIP / Average Throughput.

Counter-intuitively, to get things done faster (reduce Lead Time), you must work on fewer things at once (reduce WIP). High WIP creates queues, context switching, and delays.

In a "Push" system, work is assigned regardless of capacity, leading to bottlenecks. In a "Pull" system (like Kanban), work is only started when there is capacity to finish it. This creates a smooth flow of value.