Agile vs Lean Methodology the comprehensive – eBook

Businesses need a process that offers enhanced flexibility to optimize the movement of products and services through the value streams that flow across the assets, technologies, and departments. The Agile methodology allows for many possibilities to evaluate the direction of this flow throughout the development life-cycle. This is achieved through regular cadences of work known as Sprints or iterations, by the culmination of which teams must offer a shippable product increment.

Compared to the traditional waterfall method, Agile provides maximum freedom and opportunities for far-reaching changes, which make the model highly significant. New changes can be introduced rather easily, and at minimal spend, because of the frequency of new increments that are produced.

On the other hand, Lean methodology focuses on controlling activities and is used to help build and define a marketable product. Adapted from the Toyota Production System, the Lean thinking persuades teams to eliminate anything that isn’t adding value to the development process. In keeping with these principles, Lean organizations try to avoid unnecessary meetings, tasks, and documentation and aim for maximum optimization.