Lean Software Development:
The Poppendiecks created Lean Software Development (LSD) by importing lean manufacturing ideas into software development. LSD focuses more on principles and, to me, feels less concrete compared to other agile methods. I really liked the ideas of value stream mapping and trying to follow and reduce waste. I was never able to reconcile one mental model. Product discovery is naturally exploratory in nature. Except if you are digitizing a manual process. As a result, there is some natural waste in the system that you can’t get away from.
Lean & Agile values are closely aligned. Lean is a set of principles that have been taken from Lean manufacturing approaches & applied to software development. These core principles focus on 7 core concepts listed in the above figure.
Now look at this 7 Core Concepts in more detail:
Eliminate Wastes: To maximize value, We must minimize Waste. For software systems, Waste can take the form of partially done work, delays, hand-offs, unnecessary features etc.. Therefore to increase the value we are getting from projects, we must develop ways to identify and then remove waste.
Empower the team: Rather than taking a micromanagement approach, we should respect team members superior knowledge of the technical steps required on the project and let them make local decisions to be productive and successful.
Deliver Fast: We can maximize the project Return on investment (ROI) by quickly delivering valuable software and iterating through designs. We find the best solution through the Rapid Evolution of options.
Optimize the Whole: We aim to see the system as more than the sum of its parts. We go beyond the pieces of the project and look for how it aligns with the organization. As part of optimizing the whole, we also focus on forming better inter-group relations.
Build quality in: Lean development doesn’t try to “test-in” quality at the end; instead, we build quality into the product and continually assure quality throughout the development process, using techniques like refactoring, continuous integration and unit testing.
Defer Decisions: We balance early planning with making decisions and committing to things as late as possible. For example, this may mean re-prioritizing the backlog right up until it is time to plan an iteration, or avoiding being tide to an early technology-bounded solution.
Amplify Learning: This concept involves facilitating communication early and often, getting feedback as soon as possible, and building on what we learn. Software projects are business and technology learning experiences, so we should start soon and keep learning.
I really admire the Lean Techniques and Concepts such as Value Stream Mapping, the 7 Forms of Waste, Pull Systems, and Work In Progress (WIP).
If you’re new to Agile & Lean or Passionate to know many more info or Interested to learn about it, Please read my other listed articles on https://hangoutagile.com/blog/
If you look forward to up-skill & Certify yourself on Agile/Lean by learning through simulation & other tools/techniques, that too with the globally accepted Credentials/Badge, Please feel free to reach to nadia@diaame.com or dileepav@diaame.com
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