Lean Software Development in Action

This book illustrates how goal-oriented, automated measurement can be used to create Lean organizations and to facilitate the development of Lean software, while also demonstrating the practical implementation of Lean software development by combining tried and trusted tools. In order to be successful, a Lean orientation of software development has to go hand in hand with a company's overall business strategy. To achieve this, two interrelated aspects require special attention: measurement and experience management. In this book, Janes and Succi provide the necessary knowledge to establish {esc}(3z{esc}(BLean software company thinking, {esc}(3y{esc}(B while also exploiting the latest approaches to software measurement. A comprehensive, company-wide measurement approach is exactly what companies need in order to align their activities to the demands of their stakeholders, to their business strategy, etc. With the automatic, non-invasive measurement approach proposed in this book, even small and medium-sized enterprises that do not have the resources to introduce heavyweight processes will be able to make their software development processes considerably more Lean. The book is divided into three parts. Part I, {esc}(3z{esc}(BMotivation for Lean Software Development, {esc}(3y{esc}(B explains just what {esc}(3z{esc}(BLean Production{esc}(3y{esc}(B means, why it can be advantageous to apply Lean concepts to software engineering, and which existing approaches are best suited to achieving this. Part II, {esc}(3z{esc}(BThe Pillars of Lean Software Development, {esc}(3y{esc}(B presents the tools needed to achieve Lean software development: Non-invasive Measurement, the Goal Question Metric approach, and the Experience Factory. Finally, Part III, {esc}(3z{esc}(BLean Software Development in Action, {esc}(3y{esc}(B shows how different tools can be combined to enable Lean Thinking in software development. The book primarily addresses the needs of all those working in the field of software engineering who want to understand how to establish an efficient and effective software development process. This group includes developers, managers, and students pursuing an M. Sc. degree in software engineering Preface 6 Acronyms 10 Contents 12 Part I Motivation for Lean Software Development 17 1 Introduction 18 1.1 Introduction 19 1.2 Tame and Wicked Problems 23 1.3 Software Development Is a Wicked Problem 25 1.4 Taylorism and Software Development 26 1.5 Summary 30 Problems 31 References 31 2 The Lean Revolution 33 2.1 Introduction 34 2.2 Henry Ford 37 2.3 Taiichi Ōno and the Toyota Production System 40 2.4 Creating a ``Radiography'' of the Production Process 41 2.5 Worker Involvement 45 2.6 ``Pull'' and Not ``Push'' 47 2.7 The Right Parts at the Right Moment at the Right Place 49 2.8 The Right Information at the Right Moment at the Right Place 53 2.9 Quality Management 55 2.10 Summary 59 Problems 60 References 61 3 Towards Lean Thinking in Software Engineering 63 3.1 Introduction 65 3.2 Value 66 3.2.1 Risk as a Value-Maximizing Strategy 68 3.3 Knowledge 71 3.4 Improvement 73 3.5 ``Push'' vs. ``Pull'' in Software Engineering: ``Requirements-First'' Development 76 3.6 ``Push'' vs. ``Pull'' in Software Engineering: ``Bottom-Up'' Development 78 3.7 Summary 79 Problems 80 References 80 4 Agile Methods 83 4.1 Introduction 86 4.2 Keeping the Process Under Control 90 4.3 Job Enrichment 93 4.4 Endogenous and Exogenous Control Mechanisms 95 4.5 Synchronizing the Flow of Work of Multiple People 96 4.6 Extreme Programming (XP): A Paradigmatic Example of Agile Methods 97 4.7 The Building Blocks of XP 98 4.8 The XP Practices 101 4.8.1 Business Practices 103 4.8.2 Integration Practices 103 4.8.3 Planning Practices 103 4.8.4 Programming Practices 105 4.8.5 Team Practices 106 4.8.6 Uncategorized, Generic Practices 107 4.9 Control and Coordination Mechanisms 109 4.10 Summary 113 Problems 113 References 114 5 Issues in Agile Methods 116 5.1 Introduction or ``the Hype of Agile'' 118 5.2 The Dark Side of Agile 123 5.3 The Skepticism Towards Agile Methods 129 5.4 The Zen of Agile 133 5.5 Summary or ``What Stops us from Moving from Agile Towards Lean Software Engineering?'' 138 Problems 139 References 139 6 Enabling Lean Software Development 142 6.1 Introduction 143 6.2 Existing Proposals to Create ``Lean Software Development'' 143 6.3 Share a Common Vision 147 6.4 Deprive Gurus of Their Power 155 6.5 Disarm Extremists 159 6.6 Summary 159 Problems 160 References 160 Part II The Pillars of Lean Software Development 162 7 The GQM+Strategies Approach 163 7.1 Introduction 164 7.2 What Can We Measure? 166 7.3 What Should We Measure? 167 7.4 Applying the GQM Step-By-Step 172 7.5 Alignment 176 7.6 Summary 180 Problems 181 References 181 8 The Experience Factory 183 8.1 Introduction 184 8.2 Why Plan-Do-Study-Act Does Not Workin Software Engineering 184 8.3 The Experience Factory 186 8.3.1 Work Distribution 187 8.4 The QIP Step-by-Step 189 8.5 The Role of Measurement 193 8.6 Summary 195 Problems 195 References 196 9 Non-invasive Measurement 198 9.1 Introduction 199 9.2 Does Measurements Collection Pay Off? 206 9.3 Non-Invasive Measurement 208 9.4 Implementing Non-invasive Measurement 218 9.5 The ``Big-Brother'' Effect of Non-invasive Measurement 222 9.6 Summary 225 Problems 225 References 226 Part III Lean Software Development in Action 229 10 The Integrated Approach 230 10.1 Introduction 231 10.2 The Role of Autonomation 237 10.3 Closing the Loop with an Andon Board for Lean Software Development 246 10.3.1 Visualizing the ``Right'' Data 248 10.3.2 Visualizing Data ``Right'' 249 10.3.3 Putting the Pieces Together 252 10.4 Summary 254 Problems 255 References 255 11 Lean Software Development in Action 257 11.1 Introduction 257 11.2 Evaluating Action Research 262 11.3 Introducing Measurement Programs in Companies 264 11.3.1 Plan 265 11.3.2 Act 266 11.3.3 Observe 269 11.3.4 Reflect 271 11.3.5 Revise Plan 272 11.4 Case 1: Exploration or Exploitation? 272 11.4.1 Theoretical Framework 274 11.4.2 The Study 278 11.4.3 Results 285 11.4.4 Discussion 286 11.5 Case 2: Non-invasive Cost Accounting 287 11.5.1 Theoretical Framework 297 11.5.2 The Study 299 11.5.3 The Role of the Experience Factoryin Cost Accounting 325 11.5.4 Results 326 11.5.5 Discussion 326 11.6 Case 3: Developing a Lean GQM Graph 327 11.6.1 Theoretical Framework 327 11.6.2 The Study 329 11.6.2.1 Identify Your Business Goals 330 11.6.2.2 Identify What You Want to Know or Learn 331 11.6.2.3 Identify Your Subgoals 339 11.6.2.4 Identify the Entities and Attributes Related to Your Subgoals 341 11.6.2.5 Formalize Your Measurement Goals 343 11.6.2.6 Identify Quantifiable Questions and the Related Indicators That You Will Use to Help You Achieve Your Measurement Goals 344 11.6.2.7 Identify the Data Elements That You Will Collect to Construct the Indicators That Help Answer Your Questions 351 11.6.2.8 Define the Measures to Be Used and Make These Definitions Operational 353 11.6.2.9 Identify the Actions That You Will Take to Implement the Measures 356 11.6.2.10 Prepare a Plan for Implementing the Measures 356 11.6.3 Results 356 11.6.4 Discussion 356 11.7 Summary 357 Problems 357 References 358 12 Conclusion 363 12.1 Introduction 363 12.1.1 Lessons Learned 364 Problems 365 References 365 A If Architects Had to Work Like Software Developers 366 B A Possible Architecture for a Measurement Framework 368 B.1 Scenarios 369 B.2 Logical View 371 B.3 Physical View 379 B.4 Process View 380 B.5 Development View 380 Solutions 381 Problems of Chapter 1 381 Problems of Chapter 2 382 Problems of Chapter 3 383 Problems of Chapter 4 385 Problems of Chapter 5 386 Problems of Chapter 6 388 Problems of Chapter 7 389 Problems of Chapter 8 391 Problems of Chapter 9 392 Problems of Chapter 10 393 Problems of Chapter 11 394 Problems of Chapter 12 395 References 395 Index 397 Front Matter....Pages i-xv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-17 The Lean Revolution....Pages 19-48 Towards Lean Thinking in Software Engineering....Pages 49-68 Agile Methods....Pages 69-101 Issues in Agile Methods....Pages 103-128 Enabling Lean Software Development....Pages 129-148 Front Matter....Pages 149-149 The GQM + Strategies Approach....Pages 151-170 The Experience Factory....Pages 171-185 Non-invasive Measurement....Pages 187-217 Front Matter....Pages 219-219 The Integrated Approach....Pages 221-247 Lean Software Development in Action....Pages 249-354 Conclusion....Pages 355-357 Back Matter....Pages 359-393