Leveraging Lean Flow to Keep the Work Moving
In Chapter 1, Introducing SAFe® and DevOps, we saw the inclusion of Lean thinking approaches such as Lean software development and Kanban into the Agile movement. Jez Humble saw it as important enough to include it in the CAMS model, creating the CALMS model from which we base the SAFe® CALMR model. Scaled Agile talks about that Lean-Agile mindset with an emphasis on both Lean thinking and an Agile mindset derived from the Agile Manifesto. How does this focus on Lean thinking manifest itself in DevOps and SAFe?
In this chapter, we will see that keeping product development moving at a predictable pace requires the establishment of a Lean flow. Proper flow allows automation to succeed. To that end, we will look at the following practices to establish Lean flow:
- Making sure all work and work progress is visible
- Limiting our Work in Progress/Process (WIP)
- Keeping the size of each batch of work appropriately small...