# Which unfinished item is getting older without moving?

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## Which unfinished item is getting older without moving?

ID: MHC-D-RESEARCH-0170 · Version: 0.1.0 · Kind: question
Source: https://vedokrok.com/knowledge/which-unfinished-item-is-getting-older-without-moving

The work that never finishes cannot improve your completion statistics.

### Use when

- Completed-work averages look healthy while a few important items remain stuck.

### Avoid when

- Age alone does not determine priority or blame. Consider dependencies, risk and the kind of work before escalating.

### Explanation

Completed-work averages describe items that finished. Inspect the age of started, unfinished items as well, including time spent waiting.

### Question

How long has each unfinished item been in the workflow, including waiting, since our agreed start point?

What is preventing the aging item from reaching the next useful state, and who can address it?

### Example

Many easy requests close quickly while one approval waits for weeks. Looking at active age exposes what the completed average omits.

### Check

Did the review lead to action on stalled work rather than simply another status colour?

### Limits

- Age alone does not determine priority or blame. Consider dependencies, risk and the kind of work before escalating.

### Evidence and sources

- supports: The Kanban Guide defines started-but-unfinished work, item age and a probabilistic service-level expectation against explicit workflow boundaries. — kanban-guide-2025. Claim basis: technical_definition. Claim limit: Counts and forecasts need a stable meaning of work item and start/finish; they are not automatic performance targets.
Source access: selected_html_passages; accessed on: 2026-09-17; inspected sections: ["Definition of Workflow; active management; flow metrics"].
Source note: Only short original explanations and new examples are used. The page contains differing CC BY-SA and CC BY notices; commercial publication must resolve applicable rights rather than assume unrestricted copying.
Agent scope review, 2026-10-11: May 2025 Kanban Guide flow metrics define started unfinished work and its age. This is a descriptive review measure, not a universal escalation threshold or worker-performance score. (Definition of Workflow; Flow Metrics)
- kanban-guide-2025: The Kanban Guide, May 2025 — https://kanbanguides.org/the-kanban-guide/2025.5/

Review: agent · Agent editorial and scoped evidence review · 2026-10-11T18:12:50Z
Published: 2026-10-11T18:15:00Z