Filled with clear, compelling explanations and real-life examples from today's business world, Implementing Lean Software Development "walks the talk" by showing how lean theory is transformed into business reality at companies like Toyota, Google, Dell Computer, Southwest Airlines, PatientKeeper, and others.

The book starts with a thorough history of Lean and describes the seven Lean principles. It spends the next hundred pages focusing on value, waste, speed, and people. The last hundred or so pages discuss the lean management of knowledge, quality, partnering, and contracts, and finishes off with a recap and retrospective that includes mention of Six Sigma, the Theory of Constraints, {sidebar id=1} and measurement.

Throughout the book lean concepts and tools are presented, such as value-stream mapping, elements of queuing theory, responsibility-based planning/control and self-directing work, Just-in-Time, Kaizen events, Poka-Yoke (mistake-proofing), Set-based design, and the Five S's. Also covered is the application of the lean concepts in software practices like test-driven development, continuous integration, architecture, iteration and release planning, and continuous improvement.

What I like most about the book is how every insight is reinforced with many practical references and stories! Each chapter begins with a story of how one real-world organization faced and resolved the challenges addressed in the chapter, and concludes with a set of questions and exercises to help the reader explore the subject more mindfully. (And don't forget all the copious references and citations for those who like to follow-up on them.) The Poppendiecks' earlier book won a Jolt-award but was criticized by some as heavy on concepts and light on specific application to software development regarding how to implement the corresponding practices. This book fills that void, and shows how development organization can focus relentlessly on the rapid operational deliver of value across the entire system.

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