A very practical introduction to the 7 Principles and 22 Thinking Tools of Lean Software Development

The underlying concepts presented in this book come from the Lean Production and Development principles used by the Toyota and Honda automobile manufacturers for the last 50 years or so, adapted for Software Development. The promise is that by following these principles and using the 22 Thinking Tools a project can be delivered better, cheaper, and faster.

There are eight chapters - one each to cover the 7 principles, and a final chapter that provides a few wrap-up pointers in the form of instructions and a warranty. Each principle is defined and expanded on, with real life examples and plenty of references.

For example, the principle covered in the first chapter is "Eliminate Waste". Although this seems a bit simplistic, Lean Software Development brings a new perspective on what should be considered waste, and provides 2 tools for finding waste in your system. We've actually applied these where I work and had very good results.

Lean Software Development isn't so much a methodology such as XP or Scrum, but rather a well organized and thought-out set of concepts that support any methodology. Notice that the unfortunate acronym for Lean Software Development is LSD, so no one is going to go around saying "I use LSD to get through the day more effectively".

My favorite little quote from the book: Think Big; Act Small; Fail Fast; Learn Rapidly. I am particularly good at failing fast. Faster than almost anyone I know, so I am ahead of the curve on this one.

This is an essential book if you are striving to apply Agile thinking to your development effort. Clear, concise, and well worth the money.