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© 2016 Dwellworks, LLC
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Lean & Agile Playbook v.2.01 – modified MAY2016
Role of Leadership
In order to support the successful adaptation of Agile and uphold its values, principles, and
practices, our leadership team is committed to creating a culture of continuous
improvement. It is important that the entire organization, from the top down, understands
the idea of the servant leadership style and agrees on a team-based decision-making
process.
ABrief History of Lean and Agile
Incremental software development methods trace back to 1957. Lightweight software
development methods first appeared in the mid-1990s in reaction to the heavyweight
waterfall-oriented methods that had become commonplace, which critics called heavily
regulated, regimented, micromanaged and over-incremental.
Proponents of these lightweight methods contended that they were returning to
development practices that were present early in the history of software. These early
implementations favored creativity, freedom, self-management, and continuous
improvement. These methods are now collectively referred to as Agile development, after
the Agile Manifesto was published in 2001.
The term "Lean" was coined to describe Toyota's Production System during the late 1980s
by a research team at MIT. The core idea is to maximize customer value while minimizing
waste. In the early 2000s, companies (especially startups) began applying both Lean and
Agile principles together in order to develop new products (or even new companies) more
efficiently and based on validated customer demand.