Learning about other Agile practices

So far, we have seen the Agile methodologies and had a quick overview of the Lean software development principles and the Scrum framework. All of those ideas are often complemented by a number of practices and tools useful for completing specific phases.

In this section, we'll learn about some of those tools, namely, Kaizen, Planning Poker, Kanban boards, and Burndown charts.

Let's begin with Kaizen.

Kaizen

Kaizen is a principle directly borrowed from the Toyota Production System, which, as we have seen, is a core inspiration for Lean software development. Kaizen comes from the Japanese word for continuous improvement.

This simple concept is the essence of Kaizen, which articulates it with a comprehensive and elegant philosophy, embodying the concepts of humanization of the workplace, constant change (the opposite of big-bang, huge transformations). It is also responsible for identifying and removing waste (as we discussed...