"Leagile" software development: An experience report analysis of the application of lean approaches in agile software development

  • Authors:

  • Xiaofeng Wang;Kieran Conboy;Oisin Cawley

  • Affiliations:

  • Free University of Bozen/Bolzano, Italy;School of Information Systems, Technology and Management, UNSW, Sydney 2052, Australia;Lero, The Irish Software Engineering Research Centre, Ireland

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Systems and Software
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

In recent years there has been a noticeable shift in attention from those who use agile software development toward lean software development, often labelled as a shift ''from agile to lean''. However, the reality may not be as simple or linear as this label implies. To provide a better understanding of lean software development approaches and how they are applied in agile software development, we have examined 30 experience reports published in past agile software conferences in which experiences of applying lean approaches in agile software development were reported. The analysis identified six types of lean application. The results of our study show that lean can be applied in agile processes in different manners for different purposes. Lean concepts, principles and practices are most often used for continuous agile process improvement, with the most recent introduction being the kanban approach, introducing a continuous, flow-based substitute to time-boxed agile processes.