WIP limits

Work in progress (WIP) limits help your team spot when too much work is underway. Set a card limit for a column or for work that matches conditions, such as high-priority items in progress. BetterBoard shows a warning when the number of matching work items exceeds that limit.

Limits belong to a view. You can configure up to 10 limits, each with a card limit from 1 to 999.

WIP limits are visual warnings. They do not block creating work items, moving cards, or changing fields. Jira permissions and workflow rules still apply to those actions.

Set a column limit

1. Open Display → Work in progress limits.
2. Turn on Show column WIP controls, then close the panel.
3. Hover over a column heading and select its WIP limit icon.
4. Enter the Card limit and select Set limit.
5. Select Save in the board toolbar to keep the limit with the view.

On a field-value board, the column needs at least one mapped value before you can set a limit. On a multi-space board, it counts work using each space’s column mappings. For example, a Review column can include both “In review” from one space and “Awaiting approval” from another.

On a date board, use the column’s WIP control to count work placed in that period or Planning section. Quarter labels in WIP rules use the board’s financial-year calendar.

A limit for a month or quarter applies to that specific period while it is in the board’s date window. To apply the limit to another period, edit the rule and select the new period.

Column controls are hidden by default. Turning them off hides the controls while keeping saved limits active.

Set a limit using conditions

Use conditions when a limit should apply to a particular kind of work, whether it sits in one column or several.

1. Open Display → Work in progress limits.
2. Select the + button (Add WIP limit).
3. Choose a field, then an operator, then a value if the operator needs one.
4. Optionally add a second condition using the + beside the first condition.
5. Enter the Card limit, close the panel, and select Save in the board toolbar.

Each rule needs at least one condition and can have up to two. Both conditions must match for a work item to count. Each rule is evaluated independently, so a work item can contribute to several limits.

Example	Conditions	Card limit
Keep active work manageable	Status is In Progress	8
Limit one person’s active work	Status is In Progress and Assignee is a specific person	3
Watch urgent work	Priority is Highest	2
Watch a saved set of work	Jira filter → matches any of → Escalations, Release blockers	5
Watch recent status changes	Status changed during This week	10

Choose from the fields offered in the WIP condition picker, such as Status, Assignee, Priority, Labels, and supported custom fields. The available operators depend on the field. A field does not need to appear on cards to be used in a condition.

Use Jira filter to match any or all of your selected saved Jira filters. Use the Change operator on supported fields to match by change history.

To use an Assets condition in a WIP limit, save the condition in a Jira filter and select that filter in the rule.

A rule for several selected assignees counts their matching work together; use separate rules for separate personal limits.

Set a limit using column conditions

Use a Column condition to count work in a particular board column. You can combine it with one field condition, such as Assignee or Priority, to limit a subset of that column’s work.

To create a Column condition, first enable the column WIP controls and set a limit from the column header:

1. Open Display → Work in progress limits and turn on Show column WIP controls.
2. Close the panel, hover over the column heading, and select its WIP limit icon.
3. Enter the Card limit and select Set limit.
4. Reopen Display → Work in progress limits. The new rule includes a Column is condition with that column selected.
5. Optionally select the + beside the condition to add a field condition, such as Assignee is a specific person.
6. Adjust the card limit if needed, close the panel, and select Save in the board toolbar.

For example, Column is Review and Assignee is a specific person with a limit of 3 warns when that person has more than three work items in Review. Both conditions must match.

Once the rule exists, you can change its selected column in the WIP limits panel. You can also turn off Show column WIP controls again; the rule stays active and remains editable in the panel.

Inspect an exceeded limit

A limit is exceeded only when its count is greater than the configured number. A limit of 5 allows five matching work items; the warning appears at six.

The toolbar shows 1 WIP limit exceeded or the number of exceeded limits. Hover over the warning to see each rule, its matching card count, and how far it is over the limit. On a touch screen, tap the warning to open the list.

Select a rule to highlight its matching cards and dim the rest of the board. The highlight includes all cards contributing to that limit, rather than identifying particular cards as the excess. Only one rule is highlighted at a time. Select the active rule again, or press Escape while focus is on the board, to clear the highlight.

Cards keep their usual appearance until you turn on highlighting. Highlighting does not select cards for bulk editing.

Understand the count

• Limits use the work items loaded for your view, including its configured spaces, column mappings, and board filters. They are not a count of all work in Jira.
• When hierarchy is on, limits count the top-level cards. Nested children are shown separately from that count.
• Saved-filter conditions use your Jira access. If a selected filter is unavailable, BetterBoard shows the rule as unavailable and skips its WIP count.
• Quick search does not change WIP counts. A warning can therefore include work items hidden by your search.
• Each work item counts once per rule, even when it appears in multiple swimlanes.
• Warnings wait until the board has finished loading. An incomplete or failed load does not provide a confirmed WIP count.

Change or remove a limit

Open Display → Work in progress limits to edit a rule’s conditions or card limit. Select its trash icon to delete it, then save the view. You can also edit a column’s limit from its header control or choose Delete limit in that control.

Saving changes to a shared view requires permission to manage shared views in its home space. If you do not have that permission, use Save as private view to keep your own configuration. See View permissions.