Format: Workshop (alternatively, 90-minute lecture)
Duration: 120 minutes

Abstract

Agile is a value system inspired by anecdotal evidence from the past few decades of software. Lean is a set of disciplines proven over more than 75 years with strong balance sheet and market results from companies in the Toyota group. Modern "agile" practice, particularly in Scrum, draws on both of these traditions. Most practitioners see these formalisms through the eyes of the Scrum or XP frameworks and miss out on the deep principles found in each of them. In fact, Lean and Agile contradict each other on key points — yet, it is wise for software projects to heed both lineages. In this seminar we explore this apparent paradox and recommend concrete practices that can help software projects balance the tension between Lean and Agile.

This workshop asks attendees to explore contrasts between widely accepted principals of Agile and Lean — two approaches that are widely misrepresented as different sides of the same coin, or as one being the means to another. Alternatively (but a lot less fun) I could give this as a 90-minute lecture, though the lecture involves several team exercises. Both are upbeat and fun.

The focus is on the first 14 slides of the attached presentation. As a talk it is paced at 5 minutes per slide plus time for discussion and activities. As a workshop, there will much more time for group activities and discussion. I have run this activity previously in both formats.

Bio

Jim ("Cope") Coplien is a Software Architecture and Agile Consultant at Gertrud & Cope in Denmark. He has a 25-year history as an "early adopter" and innovator behind several strategic innovations in software: his C++ Idioms book was one of the major sources for Design Patterns; his work on Organizational Patterns was one of the foundations of the structural components of XP and was the inspiration for Scrums. His books cover areas as diverse as C++ programming, software design, and organizational design. His forthcoming book "Lean Architecture and Agile Software" will be published by Wiley. His current professional focus areas include Lean software architecture, highlighting the challenges of test-driven development, and Scrum process improvement using Organizational Patterns. His current day-to-day work includes architecture reviews, coding, and helping organizations work more effectively in lean economic conditions through process improvement and reduction of waste. His current hobby is creating advanced (housing) architecture CAD tools based on pattern languages. He lives with his wife and son in Mørdrup, Denmark. When he grows up, he wants to be an anthropologist.