How does the lean software development approach differ from traditional methods?

1 What is lean software development?

Lean software development is an approach to software development that is based on the philosophy of lean manufacturing, which originated in the Toyota Production System. Lean manufacturing aims to eliminate waste, optimize value, and improve quality and efficiency in production processes. Similarly, lean software development applies these principles to software development processes, focusing on delivering value to customers, eliminating waste, and improving quality and speed.

2 What are the principles of lean software development?

Lean software development is guided by seven core principles, such as eliminating waste and amplifying learning. Decisions should be made when they have the most information and least uncertainty, and software should be delivered frequently and in small increments. The team should have autonomy, skills, and tools to make decisions and solve problems. Integrity is achieved through practices like test-driven development and refactoring, while the whole system is optimized for value delivery through value stream mapping, systems thinking, and cross-functional collaboration.

3 What are the practices of lean software development?

Lean software development does not prescribe a specific set of practices or tools, but rather suggests some general practices that can be adapted to different contexts and situations. These practices include value stream mapping, which helps to identify and eliminate waste, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies in the process. Kanban is another method for visualizing and managing the work in progress, while iterative and incremental development is a way of developing software in small cycles that deliver working and valuable software to the customer. Additionally, test-driven development is a practice of writing tests before writing code, and then writing code that passes the tests. Finally, continuous integration and delivery are practices of integrating and delivering software frequently and automatically, using tools such as version control, automated testing, and deployment pipelines. These practices help to reduce errors, improve quality, and speed up delivery.

4 How does lean software development differ from traditional methods?

Traditional methods of software development, such as the waterfall model, are based on a linear and sequential approach, where the software is developed in stages, such as requirements analysis, design, implementation, testing, and deployment. Each stage is completed before moving to the next one, and changes are difficult and costly to make. Traditional methods assume that the requirements are fixed and predictable, and that the software can be delivered in a single and final release.

Lean software development, on the other hand, is based on an iterative and adaptive approach, where the software is developed in small and frequent cycles, where each cycle delivers a working and valuable software to the customer. Each cycle involves feedback, learning, and improvement, and changes are welcomed and easy to make. Lean software development assumes that the requirements are dynamic and uncertain, and that the software can be delivered in multiple and incremental releases.

5 What are the benefits of lean software development?

Lean software development provides many advantages to both software developers and customers. It can increase customer satisfaction by involving them in the process and responding to their feedback and changes. Additionally, it eliminates waste and cost, while ensuring high quality and reliability through practices such as test-driven development and continuous integration. The speed and agility of software delivery is improved through iterative and incremental development, kanban, and continuous delivery. Finally, lean software development empowers the team to make decisions and solve problems, while motivating them to learn and improve with a culture of feedback, experimentation, and knowledge sharing.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?