Control the inventory waiting between production steps.
Work in process is material that has entered production but is not yet finished. WIP can protect against short interruptions, but excess inventory increases lead time, consumes space, hides process problems, and creates larger queues around constraints.
Measure the flow losses that happen between machine cycles.
Waiting, queues, rework, quality loss, release rules, inspection, and material movement can dominate total lead time even when individual machines are fast.
Reduce delay and quality loss without destabilizing production.
The best changes shorten flow time, reduce excess WIP, improve first-pass output, and prevent scrap from moving farther downstream.
CRIT-AUse Buffers Intentionally
A buffer should protect a known production risk or interface rather than become permanent overflow storage.
Related Guide →CRIT-BWatch Queue Direction
Growing WIP before one resource often signals a constraint, while empty downstream queues can signal starvation.
Related Guide →CRIT-CLimit Release
Releasing work faster than the system can complete it increases WIP without improving finished output.
Related Guide →CRIT-DMeasure Aging
The age of work in queue can reveal stalled orders, priority conflicts, or hidden quality holds.
Related Guide →Relevant quality and production resources.
References are selected from the approved TempoJS industrial link inventory.