Lean Principles

    Every good thing starts with a set of principles. It is known that Lean Software Development is world-wide used more and more. This is a methodology with the origins in Lean Thinking.

    The authors of Lean Thinking, Jim Womack and Daniel Jones, define the five core principles as:

• Specify value from the standpoint of the end customer by product family.
• Identify all the steps in the value stream for each product family, eliminating every step and every action and every practice that does not create value.
• Make the remaining value-creating steps occur in a tight and integrated sequence so the product will flow smoothly toward the customer.
• As flow is introduced, let customers pull value from the next upstream activity.
• As these steps lead to greater transparency, enabling managers and teams to eliminate further waste, pursue perfection through continuous improvement.

​    These five principles are the source of the seven principles in Lean Software Development (see them also on Wikipedia):

• Eliminate Waste
• Create Knowledge
• Build Quality In
• Defer Commitment
• Deliver Fast
• Respect People
• Improve the System

    Starting with these principles, a whole theory and a set of good practices for the Lean Software Development are emerging in the Agile world. If you want more details please read this article.