SAFE-SPC · Question #79
Backlog items in an Expedite class of service can break WIP limits.
The correct answer is A. True. Expedite items are explicitly designed to bypass normal flow constraints, including WIP limits. In Kanban, the Expedite class of service exists for urgent, high-priority work that cannot wait in the normal queue - it gets a dedicated swimlane and is allowed to violate WIP…
Question
Backlog items in an Expedite class of service can break WIP limits.
Options
- ATrue
- BFalse
How the community answered
(28 responses)- A89% (25)
- B11% (3)
Explanation
Expedite items are explicitly designed to bypass normal flow constraints, including WIP limits. In Kanban, the Expedite class of service exists for urgent, high-priority work that cannot wait in the normal queue - it gets a dedicated swimlane and is allowed to violate WIP limits so it can move through the system as fast as possible. This is a deliberate policy exception, not a bug: the expectation is that expedite items are used sparingly, because every expedite disrupts flow and raises the WIP count.
Option B is wrong because WIP limits are a policy, not a hard technical lock - the Expedite class of service is the one recognized exception to that policy in Kanban.
Memory tip: Think of Expedite as an ambulance - it ignores traffic signals (WIP limits) because the urgency justifies it, but you wouldn't want a fleet of ambulances or the roads become chaos. Expedite = emergency override.
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