Make Agile Lean To Boost Business Impact

Over the past five years, Agile development methods have become very popular, but their adoption can be problematic and difficult. Lean thinking focuses organizations on eliminating waste, motivating cross-functional teams, and delivering just what the customer needs. Agile approaches concentrate on individuals and interactions, delivering software by working very closely with the customer and supporting change throughout. Lean thinking, because of its heritage, appeals to the business; Agile, on the other hand, is an approach that software development teams can understand. Although different stakeholder groups can understand these two approaches, coupling these initiatives improves outcomes for both processes. Business leaders should introduce lean thinking at the organizational or business process level, and leaders of the supporting software development organization should adopt Agile methods in concert. Combining Agile development with lean thinking provides a powerful enabling environment for business change.