Question 1

What is the main difference between Lean and Agile?

Accepted Answer

Lean is a philosophy of eliminating waste and optimizing the flow of value across a whole system. Agile is a set of values and principles for delivering software iteratively and adapting to change.

Question 2

Where did Lean come from?

Accepted Answer

The Toyota Production System, developed after the Second World War. The term "lean production" was coined by John Krafcik in a 1988 MIT Sloan Management Review article.

Question 3

Where did Agile come from?

Accepted Answer

The Agile Manifesto, written by seventeen software practitioners at Snowbird, Utah, in February 2001.

Question 4

Are Lean and Agile competitors?

Accepted Answer

No. They answer different questions and most mature teams use both. Lean addresses system flow; Agile addresses uncertainty and adaptation.

Question 5

What are the five principles of Lean?

Accepted Answer

Value, value stream, flow, pull, and perfection, as distilled by James Womack and Daniel Jones in their 1996 book "Lean Thinking."

Question 6

Is Kanban Lean or Agile?

Accepted Answer

Both, really. Kanban originated at Toyota as a lean material-flow system and was adapted for software, where it now sits within the Agile family. It is the natural bridge between the two.

Question 7

What is the difference between Lean and Lean Startup?

Accepted Answer

Lean manufacturing is about production flow and waste. Lean Startup, from Eric Ries's 2011 book, applies lean thinking to building new ventures through MVPs and validated learning.

Question 8

Why does Agile sometimes fail to speed things up?

Accepted Answer

Because Agile optimizes the team. If work queues in handoffs between teams or departments, the problem lives outside the team, and a system-level lens like Lean is needed.

Question 9

What is the biggest mistake teams make with Lean?

Accepted Answer

Maximizing everyone's utilization in the name of efficiency. In knowledge work, full utilization creates queues and destroys flow, which is the opposite of Lean.

Question 10

Which should my team choose?

Accepted Answer

Diagnose first. If work crawls through queues while everyone is busy, you need Lean. If you ship efficiently but build the wrong things, you need Agile. Most teams eventually need both.

Lean vs. Agile: Which Is Right for Your Team?

Learn better with active recall quiz

Q1: Where did Lean originate?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between Lean and Agile?

Where did Lean come from?

Where did Agile come from?

Are Lean and Agile competitors?

What are the five principles of Lean?

Is Kanban Lean or Agile?

What is the difference between Lean and Lean Startup?

Why does Agile sometimes fail to speed things up?

What is the biggest mistake teams make with Lean?

Which should my team choose?

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Lean vs. Agile: Which Is Right for Your Team?

Learn better with active recall quiz

Q1: Where did Lean originate?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between Lean and Agile?

Where did Lean come from?

Where did Agile come from?

Are Lean and Agile competitors?

What are the five principles of Lean?

Is Kanban Lean or Agile?

What is the difference between Lean and Lean Startup?

Why does Agile sometimes fail to speed things up?

What is the biggest mistake teams make with Lean?

Which should my team choose?

Found this useful? You might enjoy this as well

What Is the Business Model Canvas?

What Is Progressive Disclosure in UX?

What Is Cognitive Load in UX?