(highlight:: When project teams take on too many tasks at the same time, everyone struggles with the ambiguity and morale is endangered.
Critical Action Planning uses the kanban technique of limiting work-in-process (WIP) to get things done.)
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- [note::The the success of your project plan depends on your ability to explicitly limit work in progress (WIP) to what is actually feasible - this is why it's essential to not overcommit during sprint planning.]

Select-Perform-Assess Cycle
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- [note::This phrasing makes agile seem SO MUCH simpler compared to "sprint planning", "retrospective", etc]

The team assigns the highest priority project tasks to appropriate individual team members, and no one is allowed to take on more work-units of tasks than he or she has capacity to work. If a team member is taking two days off, she can only take on 3 days worth of work-units.
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Explicitly limiting WIP is the key to success in Critical Action Plan projects.
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After the tasks are selected, the team heads off to perform the tasks. Team members are responsible for reporting roadblocks or issues, and the project manager helps unblock or redirect as needed. Teams that like to scrum might have a daily standup for this purpose. No team member wants to show up at the next team meeting with their assignments incomplete. No one wants to let the team down. If WIP is limited properly, disappointment should be rare
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On the rare occasion team members complete their assignments early, they can work with the project manager to select another Project Task from the backlog for completion within the same or next cycle.
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- [note::This seems like a failure mode - what if disengaged team members undercommit on purpose and don't tell the project manager? I guess that's more of a performance management/incentives alignment problem at that point.]

Before selecting projects, each week, the team meets to assess Project Task completion. For each task in WIP, the team evaluates task completion. It’s easy to tell if a PO was placed or an ECO approved. It’s less easy to tell if the samples were built (were all the lot history records completed and are there any open non-conforming material reports?). It’s even harder to tell if concept downselection was completed (was the DHF memo completed)? Honesty is the best policy.
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If there is even a little more work to be done on a task, face it. It there is a task to be performed (e.g. fix non-conformances) that wasn’t in the plan, add it to the plan or leave the task incomplete. For each incomplete task, the team estimates the Work-Units remaining. A solid estimate of remaining Work Units is critical when assigning additional tasks for this week’s work, and is also important in keeping track of overall project progress.
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During the weekly meeting, we record the amount of Work-units remaining for each Project Task in WIP (0 for complete tasks). We note the evidence (e.g. document numbers / revs) that the task is complete. The assignment of new tasks to team members is also recorded on the Project Plan, with the date each task is assigned to WIP.
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- [note::I like this work unit "countdown" method vs using a typical In Progress/Done status. It makes it easier to quantify effort remaining for a given set of tasks that have yet to be completed]

Work In Process (WIP): Project Tasks actively being worked.
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Completed Tasks: Project Tasks that the team agrees are complete.
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Backlog: Project Tasks that will be done in the future.
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