I was a relative newbie to both agile and lean when I first met Mary and Tom Poppendieck at an Agile Conference in Salt Lake City in 2003, so of course I started our conversation with the question that had been bothering me: “How do you reconcile the lean view that tests are waste with the need for tests in software development?” Mary’s immediate response: “Unit tests are what let you stop the line.”
I’ve learned a lot about both agile and lean since then, and the more I learn, the more I appreciate the profound understanding that led to that simple answer so clearly tying multiple agile practices to fundamental lean principles.
So, when Mary asked me to review her new book, I jumped at the chance, and I wasn’t disappointed. The approach of framing various views into lean leadership provided fresh perspectives on many of the issues that we must all address if we are to be effective in developing software in the twenty-first century. I could rave on about the book, but that would just keep you from reading it, so I decided to limit myself to sharing my three favorite parts of the book (in chronological order)—not an easy task when the whole book is packed with valuable information.
Since I’m a geek at heart, my first favorite part of the book was Chapter 2, Technical Excellence, with its fresh look at agile practices as a continuation and extension of the fundamentals expressed in the early days of computer science by giants such as Dijkstra, Parnas, and Mills. Seeing agile practices as an evolution of the best of the past, rather than as a revolution that rejects the past, is an important step in enabling adoption of the best that agile has to offer.
Since I’m an idealist, my second favorite part of the book was in Chapter 4, Relentless Improvement, with the discussion of the need for a shared vision of what success will look like for your organization. When you couple this with the material in the same chapter about the importance of managers as mentors in developing problem solvers, you start to see the potential for an organization where everyone works every day to remove the impediments to future success.
Finally, since I’m a realist, my third favorite part of the book was Chapter 5, Great People. “Success comes from people. Results are not the point. Developing people so that they can achieve successful results is the point.” Statistically speaking, no large company has all above-average employees, suppliers, and customers. However, by following the principles and advice in this book, any company, large or small, has the potential of getting above-average results from its average employees, suppliers, and customers. That’s really what business success is all about.
If I read the book again, would I pick the same three favorite parts? I don’t know, but I’ll find out. As soon as the book is published, I’ll be starting book clubs across our company to share these ideas and see where they lead us. I encourage all of you to do the same.
Dottie Acton
Senior Fellow
Lockheed Martin