Application of Lean Concepts to
Software Development
Sangharsh Aggarwal
Sarthak Gaur
Prasad K. Patankar

Project Outline
• Introduction to Lean Concepts in
Software Development.
• Current State Map
• Problem Description
• Solution Approach

Project Objective
• Map the current state of software
development process in an ERP(SAP)
consulting firm.
• Use the concepts of “Lean” to convert
the Current Map into an optimized
Development Model (Future State Map)

Seven Principles of Lean
Software Development
• Eliminate Waste
• Increase Feedback
• Delay Commitment
• Deliver fast
• Build Integrity
• Empower the team
• See the Whole

Principle 1: Identifying Waste
Seven Wastes of Seven Wastes of
Manufacturing Software Development
Inventory Partially done work
Extra Processing Paperwork
Overproduction Extra Features
Transportation Building the wrong thing
Waiting Waiting for information
Motion Task Switching
Defects Defects

Principle 2: Increase
Feedback
Increase Feedback !!!
- Customer Feedback to Team.
- Team Feedback to Management.
- Product Feedback to Team.
- Upstream Downstream Feedback.
Don’t Decrease Feedback.
- Adding more processes rarely helps .

Principle 3 :Delay
Commitment
Technology changes rapidly
Business Process Changes
Software will change
- Software Products evolve with age.
- Architecture changes over a period of
time.
- RoI decreases

Principle 4 : Deliver Fast
The most disciplined organizations are those
that respond rapidly to customer requests.
- Rapidly
- Reliably
- Repeatedly
Software Development Maturity
- The speed at which you reliably and
repeatedly
convert customer requests to deployed
software

Principle 5: Build Integrity
Perceived External) Integrity
- the totality of the
Perceived
system achieves a Conceptual
Integrity
Integrity
balance of function,
usability, reliability and
economy that delights
customers
Conceptual Internal) Integrity
- the system’s central concepts work
together as a smooth, cohesive whole.
Build Integrity using Testing and Refactoring.

Principle 6: Empower the Team
Some knowledge can be codified and shared by documentation.
It is usually better for a program team to work with existing standards
than to develop their own.
At the end of each iteration, do a process check with the team. Ask two
questions :
- What is slowing you down or getting in the way of doing a good
job ??
- What would help move things faster,better,cheaper ?
Use pair programming or design reviews within the framework of
software craftsmanship

Principle 7: See the Whole
• Does not mean to ignore the details, but to
beware of the temptation to optimize parts at
the expense of the whole.
• Information measurements obtained by
aggregating data to hide individual
performance), not performance
measurements should be used.

Current State Map
Change Control:
Issue Log and Defects Defects
Resolution
Project
Charter
Functional Technical TS Review and
Code/Configuration Code Review
Specification Specification (TS) Sign-off
Defects
C/T: 40 hrs C/T: 18 hrs C/T: 4 hrs C/T: 40 hrs C/T: 8 hrs
C/O: 2 hrs C/O: 4 hrs C/O: 0 hrs C/O: 8 hrs C/O: 0 hrs
4 2 2 3 1
Defects
Quality Client Delivery Note &
Go Live Unit Testing
Transport Request
(Integration testing)
C/T: 10 hrs
C/T: 80 hrs C/T: 2 hrs C/O: 0 hrs
C/O: 0 hrs C/O: 0 hrs
1
4 1

Takt Time
• Customer Requirement = 24 Objects
• Available Development Time = 6 months
= 6 x 20 x 8
= 960 hrs
Takt Time = Available Time
Customer requirement
= 960 / 24
Takt Time= 40 hrs/objects

Problem Description
• Cycle Time = 82 Hrs (For Technical Development)
• Cycle Time > Takt Time
• Inappropriate resource utilization.
• Building the wrong thing: Inexperienced
Programmers.
• Defects
• High changeover time for TS writing and
Code writing.

Proposed Solution Approach
• To reduce cycle time
• Increase feedback
• Better resource utilization
• Ownership of object
• Pair programming for complex objects
• Incorporation of Agile:
– Scrum meeting to identify problems and resolve
them.
– Refactoring the code to make it comprehendible
for future re-use.

Progress made to date
• Data collected from a consulting
company
• Current value stream mapped
• Problems noted in the current state
• Viable solutions for the future state
being considered

Plan for the Future
• Develop the Future state value stream
map.
• Develop a plan to put a continual
improvement process in place.
• Develop an appropriate set of Lean
metrics for Software development.

Questions

Thank You