A system and method optimizes throughput of tracked assets as work-in-progress (WIP) within a monitored environment such as a manufacturing establishment with off-line processing areas. A plurality of assets such as vehicles have a tag transmitter associated therewith and operative for transmitting a wireless RF signal that includes data relating to the identification of the asset to which the tag transmitter is associated. A real-time location system (RTLS) infrastructure tracks the location of the plurality of assets to various containment, staging, and processing task areas within the monitored environment as WIP. A processor is operative with the RTLS infrastructure for determining an asset input rate into WIP at an origin to the WIP for optimizing asset flow rate as WIP through different containment, staging, and processing areas within the monitored environment.