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When WIP is not work in progress!
If you visit a factory, it is quite common to see large chunks of WIP lying on the shop floor, waiting to be processed by the next operation. When a workstation processes an item and passes it on to the next station, we feel that we have done some value added work.
We actually add value only when the item is processed in time for the next operation to take over. Processing early creates more non-value added activities like storage, handling, shifting, stacking, picking, etc.
Waiting before the next operation is necessary only in certain specific cases when we fill up the designated buffers like constraint buffer, consumption buffer and assembly buffer.
Planners will do well to stop releasing material early on the shop floor. It actually obstructs the flow and leads to more delays.