In this ever-changing fashion of the software development domain, Lean has proved itself to be one of the best!
Software Development with the help of Lean caters to the emerging demands of the organization and provides the best outcome which is well-suited and a perfect fit!
That’s the reason why top IT Staffing companies in USA focus on lean software development.
Now, let us tell you precisely what Lean Software Development is-
Adapting to the existing Lean system that Toyota uses in its production, Lean Software Development (LSD) is a framework promoting optimization of the software development process. The biggest advantage LSD holds is saving time and delivering products/services on time to the end-user.
And how does this happen?
By removing unnecessary steps involved while designing software and increasing the manpower to boost overall productivity, this framework can be a huge time saver.
There are in total 7 well-established sets of Lean principles which when adopted give more efficient and standard products/services.
Lean principles assist in debugging the software development process and reduce the chances of loss.
Usage of these tactics and processes can vary depending on factors like the kind of product to be generated, team members, the timeframe of the project taken, etc.
1. Eliminating the waste:
To ensure efficiency and better working, it is important to identify the barriers and eliminate them. For instance, lack of proper communication, data duplication, issues with quality, etc., could potentially come under waste that has to be avoided/ dealt with.
2. Fast Delivery:
Fast delivery of products/ services is a result of lined up well-carried steps like developing and showing the groundwork to respective customers, accepting the feedback, making changes accordingly, and presenting the modified project.
It is necessary to carry these steps so that the project can be competent in today’s fast-paced work environment.
3. Empowering the team:
Unity, cooperation, and respect for fellow team members go a long way. Good code and software are a result of mental work. And it is highly necessary to acknowledge the efforts of each individual behind the project.
This behavior proves to be extremely beneficial in cases of intense workload and short deadlines.
4. Build Quality:
A software can only be considered efficient and well-developed if it meets a certain level of quality. Unnecessary wastage can degrade the standard. What is required at this time is a bifurcation of what impedes progress and what genuinely contributes to it.
Some contributors to the quality are- combining the experience and skills of multiple developers, constant feedback, and automation of certain processes.
Related Post: Agile Development Methodology- Complete Overview
5. Amplify Learning:
With the help of properly communicating and reviewing each other’s work, learning among the team can be improved and used for so much more!
One of the methods to further practice cumulative learning is paired programming. Paired programming involves two programmers in which one writes the code and the other, reviews it. They might switch their roles simultaneously.
The result is a code of higher quality, faster development, and fewer chances of error.
6. Optimize the Whole:
“When individuals or organizations are measured on their specialized contribution, rather than overall performance, sub-optimization is likely to result.”
– Poppendieck
It’s not about what an individual team member does, but how the software develops as a whole. With the collaboration and interaction of each step, the results can be impressive.
7. Making Decisions as Late as Possible:
Keep the critical decision-making for the end. This simply does not mean delaying every important decision, rather the irreversible changes. It is critically important in case of complex and uncertain areas of software development.
By deciding and adopting changes too early could risk you something significant and hence, the chances of the project failing are high!
To complement these principles, here are some tools that are used by Lean-
1. VALUE STREAM MAPPING: Visualizing the development process as a whole to identify grey areas, if any, and to save time on actual processing.
2. KANBAN: Prevention of overloading of the development process by limiting the tasks that are being completed side by side.
3. MANAGEMENT OF INVENTORY: Managing and reducing the number of operations carried out together with the help of queuing theory.
After considering the usage, flexibility, and principles of Lean Software Development, here’s a list of advantages and disadvantages:
⭐ Pros of Adopting Lean Software Development
► Completing and delivering the product/service early means more functionality and time to make changes if any. It might also mean that with the time saved, new development projects could be undertaken!
► Catering to the ever-changing demands in today’s organizational environment, software development with the help of Lean encourages efficiency and increases the speed of respective projects!
► Encouraging and acknowledging team efforts as mentioned in one of the principles develop the decision-making ability of team members. Because being forced to do tasks and being micromanaged creates an unfavorable environment for developers.
The result created by a motivated and well-appreciated team is a nicely developed product.
⭐ Cons of Adopting Lean Software Development
◉ Lean Software Development promotes flexibility. However, when too much flexibility and specifications are made in the project, it loses its authenticity and core structure.
◉ The development of software through Lean is highly team-dependent. If the developing team is inconsistent with their technical skills, it can create a major problem. The success of a project highly relies upon the team who creates it.
◉ Lack of proper documentation concerning business means an underdeveloped project. And neither the software developer wants it nor the client/ end-user.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What are the 7 principles of Lean Software Development (LSD)?
A: The 7 principles are:-
- Waste elimination
- Quality build-up
- Fast delivery
- Optimize the whole
- Team appreciation
- Defer commitment
- Amplify learning
Q: Are Lean and Agile the same?
A: Although they are sometimes mistaken, Agile and Lean are distinct in terms of philosophy, basic structure, term, method, and so on.
Q: What is the central theme of Lean Software Development?
A: The main aim for the adaptation of the Lean Software Development method is to solve problems as they come with the help of existing knowledge. Empowerment of the team, elimination of waste, presenting it in front of customers, and modifying it accordingly come after that.
Q: What are the three main parts of lean development methodology?
A: The Lean Development methodology has 3 parts – Decrease costs, effort and waste.
Combining all three while developing the software creates a product that caters to the demand of clients.
