Lean software development, which we hear a lot about these days, may be still a bit of a mystery for people who come to Agile via Scrum or XP. Earlier this year, at an Open Party was sponsored by InfoQ China, Ning Lu of ThoughtWorks China offered an introduction to Lean thinking, and said the biggest obstacle to Lean thinking can be the manufacturing mindset.
He explained how to recognize and eliminate waste with The 5 Lean Principles with examples, and listed out several typical phenomena which always accompany waste:
He explained how to recognize and eliminate waste with The 5 Lean Principles with examples, and listed out several typical phenomena which always accompany waste:
- Inventory
- Batch processes and waiting in queues
- Unbalance
- Complication
- Focus on "following the regulations"
- Treat it positively
- Change personal tasks to "team tasks"
- Separate responsibilities between people and machines
- Do work ahead of time, and frequently