Lean Versus Agile

So, what is so different about Lean and Agile software development? On the surface, not too much.

Both Lean and Agile software development aim to improve the quality of the software (as perceived by the customer) as well as the productivity of the software development process. They both value (and even welcome) the changes in requirements that will almost certainly occur over the course of the project. They both place the highest value on delivering software that meets the customer’s real needs (not the initial perceived customer needs).

The difference is in the underlying perspective and philosophy…the mindset.

Agile mostly concerns itself with the specific practice of developing software and the project management that surrounds that software development. Agile methods do not generally concern themselves with the surrounding business context in which the software development is taking place.

Lean principles, on the other hand, can be applied to any scope, from the specific practice of developing software to the entire enterprise where software development is just one small part. It is even common in Lean manufacturing to go outside the company and include suppliers in the scope of Lean process improvement. The larger the scope, the larger the potential benefits.

Most Lean efforts start out small and expand their scope over time, realizing more and more benefits in the process. In any case, it can be safely said that Lean views all Agile methodologies as valid supporting ...

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