Not all delays are the same

Explains the difference between waiting and blocked tasks, why clear distinction matters in workflows, and how to track and address sources of delay for better optimisation.

Published on 15 February 2025

Written by Martin Hinshelwood

1 minute read

https://nkdagility.com/resources/pgCUc2qV2_q

Not all delays are the same.

A task waiting on legal approval isn’t blocked—it’s in a waiting state. A task that needs a missing dependency to proceed is actually blocked. These distinctions matter.

Why? Because treating “waiting” as “blocked” distorts your workflow. It hides the real problem areas and makes it harder to optimise the system. It also encourages teams to wash their hands of responsibility—“It’s in blocked, so it’s not on me.”

A better approach? Make the source of delay explicit. Use tags, highlight blockers visually, and—most importantly—track how long work sits idle. The goal isn’t just to know something is blocked; it’s to fix the systemic issue behind it.

How does your team make these distinctions visible?

Also published on: LinkedIn

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