What is lean software development (LSD)?
Lean software development (LSD), or Lean methodology, is a lightweight framework that reduces programming effort and budgeting by one-third. Lean development allows us to obtain information directly from the source, and eliminates the common problem of producing software that doesn't meet customers' needs.
This approach is also referred to as the minimum viable product (MVP) technique, in which a team creates a barely functional prototype and sells it to the market. The team then collects customer feedback on what they like, dislike, and want to see improved. It then iterates based on this information.
Principles of LSD
LSD is based on the following seven principles:
Eliminate waste
Amplify learning
Delay commitment
Deliver fast
Respect people
Build integrity in
Optimize the whole
Eliminate waste
The elimination of waste is one of the major tenets that makes Lean a successful development methodology. Whether applied to a development team, a group, or an organization, Lean development is about minimizing waste at its core. Excess inventory, pointless efforts, redundant data, and most importantly, the costs associated with the aforementioned are examples of waste.
Project managers hold regular meetings to identify and eliminate wastes such as unnecessary features or code, process delays, inefficient communication, quality issues, data duplication, etc. This allows team members to identify flaws and suggest changes for the next turn.
Amplify learning
Through extensive code review and cross-team meetings, the learning is enhanced. This ensures that specific knowledge is not accumulated by one engineer who writes a specific piece of code by using paired programming. Learning typically occurs in three areas: new technologies, new skills, and a better understanding of what the user wants and needs.
Delay commitment
When developing, the team must decide which technology to use, which database to connect the product to, and which architectures to build the final product on as late as possible. This is based on the assumption that requirements change due to customer feedback, the competitive marketplace, or emerging technologies. This methodology builds software to be flexible so that developers can apply new knowledge and make improvements.
Deliver fast
Lean development is based on the following principle: create a simple solution, test it with customers, and improve incrementally based on their feedback. This is critical, especially in software, where time to market is a huge competitive advantage.
Lean focuses on delivering quickly and in small chunks by implementing them in individual iterations.
Respect people
This Lean principle is sometimes called "empower the team," and is often overlooked. Respect for people can be applied to all aspects of how Lean operates, from communication methods to conflict resolution, hiring and onboarding new members, etc.
There are numerous resources available to improve leadership skills or work on team communication regarding healthy team development.
Build integrity in
To ensure that quality is maintained throughout the process, Lean employs a variety of approaches and software development practices, including Lean development methodologies. Developers often apply test-driven programming, refactoring, pair programming, incremental development and feedback, and automation wherever applicable.
Optimize the whole
Optimizing the whole considers dependencies and ensures collaboration so that employees are encouraged to optimize for the whole rather than just their part.
Advantages and disadvantages
There are several advantages and disadvantages of LSD.
Advantages
The development process is streamlined and rationalized as LSD eliminates unnecessary process stages when designing software, saving time and valuable resources.
It eliminates unnecessary activity, which can lower expenses.
It gives the development team the ability to make decisions, which can boost morale.
Delivering the product means the development team can deliver more functionality in less time, allowing them to complete more projects.
Disadvantages
The project heavily relies on team cohesion and individual commitments from team members. The project's success is determined by how disciplined the team members are and how exceptional their technical skills are.
It requires precise documentation.
It results in a difficult decision-making process because customers must clearly define their requirements for development to continue uninterrupted.
Conclusion
The LSD methodology is able to streamline the development process and force teams to quickly eliminate any tasks that don't directly contribute to the final result. Therefore, many organizations find it to be a highly effective technique for software development. However, for this strategy to be successful, a firm must have a top-notch development team and complete faith in its staff.
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