Lean Thinking and Scrum are seen as two complementary concepts in software development projects, which can be integrated for better project management and delivery. In this article, we will highlight the core concepts of Lean Thinking and their applications to Scrum.
Lean Thinking at a Glance
Originally a concept from production line management, Lean Thinking aims to minimize waste in every form and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your business operations, all while delivering to customers what they need. Its five principles are:
- Identify Value: Identify what the customer wants and needs.
- Map the Value Stream: Analyze the stages of product/service creation to identify and eliminate waste.
- Create Flow: Ensure the work moves smoothly through the value stream without interruptions.
- Establish Pull: Instead of pushing the work down the process, let the demand ‘pull’ the work through the value stream.
- Pursuit of Perfection: Continually strive to improve by constantly eliminating waste.
Lean Thinking Application to Scrum
When applied to Scrum, these principles can significantly enhance the team’s effectiveness and communication, resulting in improved product development and higher customer satisfaction. Here’s how:
- Identify Value: In Scrum, value identification means understanding the vision of the project as guided by the Product Owner. Also, during the Sprint Review and Retrospective, the team refines the product backlog to ensure that the items align with the customer’s value.
- Map the Value Stream: To map the value stream, every step in the Scrum process should be scrutinized to identify waste. For example, steps that only seem to generate documentation or require hand-offs could be considered waste and could be eliminated or simplified.
- Create Flow: In Scrum, work flows from the Product Owner to the development team via the backlog. To keep this flow uninterrupted, teams need to follow a consistent Sprint rhythm and avoid changes during the Sprint that could disrupt the workflow.
- Establish Pull: The concept of pull is fulfilled in Scrum via the Sprint. The team pulls a certain amount of work into each Sprint and then works to complete it. Also, in the Daily Stand Up, team members pull tasks to work on based on their availability and skill set.
- Pursuit of Perfection: This principle is seen in Scrum through the recurring Sprint Retrospectives where teams look back at their performance and find ways to improve it.
Table 1: Lean Principles and their Applications in Scrum
| Lean Principle | Application in Scrum |
|---|---|
| Identify Value | Understand project vision and refine product backlog |
| Map Value Stream | Identify and eliminate waste in the Scrum process |
| Create Flow | Follow consistent Sprint rhythm and avoid disruption |
| Establish Pull | Pull work into each Sprint and during the Daily Stand Up |
| Pursuit of Perfection | Continuously improve through Sprint Retrospectives |
Overall, Lean Thinking’s principles can guide Scrum teams to continually inspect, adapt, and improve their processes, leading to efficient product development and high quality of deliverables. This Lean-Scrum combination can be beneficial for individuals preparing for exams such as the “Certified Scrum Professional – ScrumMaster (CSP-SM)”.
Practice Test
True or False: Lean thinking is solely about product development and has nothing to do with waste reduction.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: One of the fundamental principles of Lean thinking is to eliminate waste – any activity that does not deliver value to the customer.
Which of the following is not a core principle of Lean Thinking?
- a) Eliminate waste
- b) Amplify learning
- c) Decide as late as possible
- d) Employ micromanagement
Answer: d) Employ micromanagement
Explanation: Lean thinking encourages autonomy, not micromanagement. The idea is to empower teams and rely on their expertise and decision-making abilities.
True or False: Applying Lean principles to Scrum can enhance the process with a value-focused perspective.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Lean Thinking and Scrum share a lot in common such as focus on delivering value, reducing waste and continuous improvement.
In the context of Lean Thinking, which among the following counts as ‘waste’?
- a) Unfinished work
- b) Necessary meetings
- c) Employee training
- d) Necessary documentation
Answer: a) Unfinished work
Explanation: In Lean Thinking, any half-done work is considered as waste because it isn’t adding any value to the client or stakeholder.
True or False: Lean principles can only be applied to manufacturing organizations.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: While Lean principles originated in manufacturing (Toyota Production System), they can be applied to any organization including software development, where they form a key part of agile methodologies like Scrum.
In Lean Thinking, what does ‘Amplify Learning’ mean?
- a) Increase team size
- b) Studying competitors
- c) Fast and frequent iterations
- d) Mandatory certifications
Answer: c) Fast and frequent iterations
Explanation: ‘Amplify Learning’ refers to frequent and quick iterations that lead to increased knowledge and continuous improvement.
True or False: The goal of Lean Thinking is to increase the speed of delivery.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: While speed can be a byproduct, the primary goal of Lean Thinking is to deliver maximum value with minimum waste.
What is another term for ‘waste’ in Lean Thinking?
- a) Muda
- b) Scrum
- c) Sprint
- d) Sigma
Answer: a) Muda
Explanation: In Lean Thinking, the Japanese word ‘Muda’ is used to denote waste.
Among the following, which one is not a type of waste identified in Lean Thinking?
- a) Overproduction
- b) Inventory
- c) Excessive collaboration
- d) Motion
Answer: c) Excessive collaboration
Explanation: Excessive collaboration is not considered a form of waste in Lean thinking. The seven wastes are overproduction, waiting, transporting, inappropriate processing, unnecessary inventory, unnecessary/excess motion, and defects.
True or False: Lean Thinking advocates big-batch processing.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Lean Thinking promotes small-batch processing and just-in-time delivery, instead of big-batch processing. This reduces the waste of inventory and overproduction.
Where in the Scrum process can you apply the Lean principle of ‘Respect for People’?
- a) Retrospective
- b) Sprint Planning
- c) Daily Scrum
- d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Explanation: ‘Respect for People’ can be applied throughout the Scrum process. It is about valuing everyone’s input and creating a culture of trust and transparency.
True or False: Lean Thinking suggests making decisions as soon as possible.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Lean Thinking recommends ‘Deciding as Late as Possible.’ By keeping options open for as long as practical, teams can adapt to changes or unexpected problems.
In the Scrum methodology, how does Lean Thinking advocate for waste reduction?
- a) Shortening the Product Backlog
- b) Increasing the number of Sprints
- c) Eliminating Retrospectives
- d) Removing unnecessary work by prioritizing the backlog
Answer: d) Removing unnecessary work by prioritizing the backlog
Explanation: Prioritizing the backlog effectively helps to focus on value-adding tasks and lead to waste reduction.
True or False: Lean principles are opposed to the Scrum value of transparency.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Lean Thinking advocates transparency, just like Scrum. Transparency helps uncover issues early, which leads to faster resolution and less waste.
What Lean Thinking principle can contribute to the Scrum concept of ‘Sustainable Pace’?
- a) Eliminate waste
- b) Build quality in
- c) Deliver fast
- d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Explanation: All these principles can contribute to a ‘Sustainable Pace.’ By eliminating waste, building in quality, and delivering fast, teams can maintain productivity without burning out.
Interview Questions
What is the primary goal of Lean Thinking?
The primary goal of Lean Thinking is to maximize customer value while minimizing waste, thus creating more value with less work.
What are the five principles of Lean Thinking, as devised by Womack and Jones?
The five principles of Lean Thinking are: Identify Value, Map the Value Stream, Create Flow, Establish Pull, and Seek Perfection.
How can the first principle of Lean Thinking, “Identify Value,” be applied to Scrum?
In Scrum, “Identifying Value” can be interpreted as determining what is most valuable to the customer or stakeholder and focusing the team’s efforts on those high-value features or requirements. This could be done through the Product Backlog where items are prioritized based on their value.
How can the Lean concept of “Map the Value Stream” be implemented in Scrum?
The “Map the Value Stream” principle can be implemented in Scrum by using a process artifact like the Sprint Backlog to map out how each work item or user story contributes to the overall product or system value.
Explain how the principle “Create Flow” can be utilized within a Scrum team.
The “Create Flow” concept encourages that work should be allowed to flow without interruptions or unnecessary waiting time. This can be achieved in Scrum through daily scrum meetings where team members coordinate efforts, solve problems together, and ensure work is progressing smoothly.
What do we understand by the “Establish Pull” principle in Lean, and how can it be applied in Scrum approach?
“Establish Pull” principle means products should only be made when required by the customer. In Scrum, this can apply to work being taken from the product backlog only when the team is ready to work on it. It prevents overburdening of the team with unnecessary tasks.
How does the Lean concept of “Seek Perfection” relate to the Continuous Improvement process in Scrum?
The “Seek Perfection” principle urges for continuous improvement, which is an integral component of Scrum. This can be seen particularly in the Sprint Retrospective where the team reflects on what went well and what could be improved in the next Sprint.
Can you use the principle of lean “Eliminate Waste” in the Scrum framework?
Yes, “Eliminate Waste” can be applied in Scrum as it focuses on identifying and removing any activity that does not add value to the project. Identifying and eliminating product backlog items that bring no value to the product or process, eliminating delays and unnecessary meetings all constitute waste elimination.
How does the concept of “Just In Time” from Lean Thinking integrate into Scrum?
The “Just In Time” concept can be applied in Scrum through the Pull-system. Work is pulled into the Sprint as capacity allows, thus ensuring that work is delivered ‘just in time’.
What is an example of “Building in Quality” – a Lean principle – in Scrum?
“Building in Quality” in Scrum could refer to the Definition of Done standard that the team establishes. By ensuring each backlog item meets this standard before it is considered complete, quality is built into the product incrementally.
How does Lean Thinking support Scrum’s focus on maximizing return on investment (ROI)?
Lean Thinking supports achieving higher ROI through the focus on customer value and waste elimination. By prioritizing customer needs and reducing wasteful activities, Scrum teams can deliver products that bring the most value to the customer, thereby maximizing ROI.
How do Lean’s empowerment of workers relate to the self-organizing principle of Scrum teams?
Lean’s emphasis on worker empowerment aligns with Scrum’s principle of self-organization. Both approaches provide teams with autonomy in planning and executing their work, fostering problem-solving skills, and ownership of outcomes.
Can the Lean concept of Continuous Flow be integrated in Scrum? How?
While Scrum operates in iterative cycles (Sprints), it can still incorporate elements of Lean’s Continuous Flow principle. The Increment should be in usable condition at the end of each Sprint, meaning there is a continuous “flow” of work from the team into the product.
How does the Lean principle of “Respect for People” get reflected in the Scrum?
The “Respect for People” principle closely aligns with Scrum values of respect and individuals’ interactions over processes and tools. Both emphasize creating an environment where all team members feel valued, respected, and are comfortable expressing their views and concerns.
How does the Lean principle of Visual Management translate into Scrum?
Visual Management can be seen in Scrum through the use of tools like Scrum Board, Burn-Down or Burn-Up charts. These tools visually represent the work, its progress, and help in the inspection and adaptation.
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