Small or large products, whichever you are aiming to build but it’s recommended to perceive the agility. Agility lets you be more open to feedback and improvement which eventually reflects as a sustainable outcome. It requires patience, perseverance, intention and most importantly love for the product.

By following the core principles of Lean Software Development you can build a reasonably sensible product that fits the user requirements.

1. Eliminating the waste
2. Fast Delivery
3. Amplify Learning
4. Builds Quality
5. Respect Teamwork
6. Delay the commitment
7. Optimizing the whole system

To stay aligned to the above principles during the development it’s required your team members to react to the given challenges intuitively around the Lean Software Development principles. With time, it will become a part of their natural instinct to keep the whole system optimistic.

This concept of Lean Software Development roots in Lean Manufacturing which was originally invented for the Toyota factories in Japan. It is defined as

“a method for developing products that focuses on reducing waste, speeding up delivery, and increasing profit and customer value”.

The motive was to reduce the waste and deliver fast to increase the overall value. The faster you present your mistake the faster you get a chance to resolve it. Also, it is not limited to production; companies implement this method for their marketing, sales, management and other teams. Why not, when it brings the most out of the best.

At times older large organizations might face stiffness in the product development process due to their orthodox management structure. The old production methods are not working anymore on the new age demands. In some cases it increases the probability of failure.

Old engine on a new car!

Here the scale of the company is so large that it can’t instantly replace the old management method and infrastructure with something respectively new in the market.

So, what’s the solution here? 

Large organizations work on multiple products, some products are yet on paper, some are just designed and some are in production. They recruit people for a new product and build a suitable team within their infrastructure. Interestingly, many companies let these teams behave as independent startups. The project owner and manager are given the rights quite similar to the entrepreneurs. They take care of the product, its relevance, budget, efficiency and launches.

There are instances when such independent teams brought the best results. Managers are focused, not as employees but as entrepreneurs. It gives them the freedom to innovate, implement and retrospect.

Mindset > Architecture > Tools

Architecture plays a larger role than tools while working with any agile methodology. You have to be least worried about the tools in the initial stage, instead focus on the most suitable functionalities and layers. I prefer PEN & PAPER for day one. No big presentations, no long videos and no rigidities are needed.

Mindset plays a greater role while working on Lean Software Development even though foolproof management keeps track of the basics. Lean Development follows more or less the republican work culture. It takes care of each individual’s mindset and thought process. Everyone gets respect and rewards

Figure out the required skills, functionalities, features, environments and team members. Your team should be open to all the possibilities and feedback.

This was just an introduction around Lean Development. Empiryx is a company of agile soldiers who has been contributing to the great products that have immense potential to grow many folds than the original scope. We made sure our initial product management method doesn’t bound the future growth possibilities of any product.

In a meantime you would love to read our previous article on Lean Product Development by clicking HERE,

Have a wonderful LEAN experience!