(T/F): Agile is to Software as Lean is to Manufacturing?

Posted by Robert Merrill on October 8, 2009 under Agile Methods, Software-Intensive Businesses | Be the First to Comment

If your firm hires or contracts programmers, and your business results depend on their work (and if your business results don’t, why did you hire or contract programmers?), this question is for you.

Not that I always believe Forrester, but apparently they’re calling Lean the new Business Technology Imperative at a Forrester conference in Chicago.

I’ve been telling business clients for a while now that Agile may be to software as Lean is to manufacturing. I qualify the statement because I’m not yet convinced that the impact is as significant, but I wouldn’t bet my software-intensive business that it isn’t.

Maybe this is the business SAT or ACT question of the 2010s.