Key Points

• Agile and LSS are a great fit for software development.
• The more flexible, iterative approach to processes can be further augmented with modified DMAIC improvement cycles.
• Taking lessons learned into account when designing new processes is a great way to continue cultivating a learning culture in your organization.

Lean Six Sigma and Agile make for a potent combination when deployed in several different environments. However, one area where you can leverage this powerful combination for exemplary results is in software development. Software development is a tricky business sector to hem in, thanks in part to the actively shifting targeted goals of a given project.

For years now, Agile has been the methodology of choice for managing complex software projects. That said, there is some validity in integrating the two methodologies to create a hybridized approach with structured leadership further up the line and looser self-disciplined teams writing the code. Let’s take a moment and explore the how behind this specific use case.

Lean Six Sigma: A Brief Overview

Lean Six Sigma is a hybrid approach utilizing the best of Lean and Six Sigma. This makes for projects and processes that are efficient, avoiding non-value-added activities, and ultimately the best possible versions of themselves that they can be. Lean Six Sigma has typically been utilized in manufacturing-heavy industries, like automobiles, consumer electronics, and so forth.

At the start of today’s article, I posited the force for good that combines Lean Six Sigma and Agile. On paper, both of these approaches are opposed. Agile has a reputation for playing fast and loose with the rules of a traditional business structure, operating in smaller teams that are largely self-guiding.

This is contrasted with the likes of Lean Six Sigma, which is driven by managerial staff, champions, and Black Belts who help exemplify the qualities and values that make LSS a force to be reckoned with. Lean Six Sigma has made big waves since its debut and is seeing use in just about every major business sector you can imagine.

Understanding Agile

Agile is the brainchild of the Agile Alliance, debuting originally in the 2000s. It is a project management approach centered around the ability to adapt. This applies to all stages of a project as well, from concept to final deliverable. Unlike LSS, Agile finds its roots in software development. It has been a driving force in the world of coding for decades at this point, and doesn’t look to be going anywhere for the foreseeable future.

What you have to understand about Agile is that the approach itself isn’t without structure. You have leadership, teams, goals, and the various minutiae that arise throughout the development of any project. However, where it differs is in the flexibility of the approach.

Agile takes its name from the nimble, adaptive nature that it exemplifies. You’re focusing more on the people rather than the processes or the vehicles that take you to your destination. This is further exemplified with the stakeholder relationship in Agile, where project sponsors, team members, managers, and even the customer are all part of the process.

Lean Six Sigma and Agile for Software Development

Now that we’ve highlighted these disciplines once again for the new readers in our audience, it is time to take a look at how Lean Six Sigma and Agile can complement one another for software development. Software development is a different sort of beast when compared to other market sectors. You are certainly going to do be doing market research, gauging customer opinions through surveys, and so forth, but the inputs and outputs are different.

Ostensibly, you could view software as a sort of production line, but with computers, servers, and other accoutrements rather than automated robots and CNC routing machines. That aside, software development requires a cycle of constant improvement to truly prosper.

Now, Agile already uses an iterative approach to this, with things going back to the drawing board when feedback isn’t optimal. These are perfect opportunities to implement some of the tools and methods behind Lean Six Sigma, as you’ll see.

Utilizing DMAIC and Other Lean Six Sigma Tools

I know what I said about focusing on people over processes, but there are only so many ways to accomplish something in code. As such, it pays to take the time to see where you can optimize things further. Typically, depending on the type of Agile you’re doing, you might have something called a retrospective or a standup occurring. These are short, rapid-fire meetings where observations are made.

This is the perfect jumping point to implement things like a DMAIC process improvement cycle. Rather than working off intuition and intangible measurements, using retrospectives or standups to get things rolling can be a great way of handling the ins and outs of process improvement while keeping the team nimble and adaptable.

Process Increments

Agile teams typically have larger chunks of work broken into smaller, simpler tasks. You don’t build a car by assembling the whole thing right away, you assemble its constituent components in stages. The same applies to software, and it is also a place where you can start looking at where waste and non-value-added activities are occurring.

For example, you’ve got internal testers for your feedback and quality assurance stages of development. However, the turn around time for these testers to get back to your developers is leaving hours of lag time. This is a key area where you can start isolating what needs to be done and figuring out where you can cut things down to keep your process increments moving smoothly.

Process increments themselves are fairly simple concepts to wrap your head around. They are small, bite-sized aspects of a process to focus on. Realistically, these shouldn’t take more than a week or two to accomplish, much like starting a new sprint.

Providing Long-Term Solutions for Short-Term Problems

In the context of an Agile project, any problems that arise only last as long as the software contract is active. However, that doesn’t mean you need to forego looking for lasting solutions. Returning to my example of the testers not getting back to the dev team promptly, this is where you can take a cold, hard look at the testers and begin looking for alternative solutions.

Agile is about adaptation, and LSS is about providing quality outputs and reducing waste, and these make for a potent solution when it comes to software development. You don’t have to concern yourself with looking for hacky workarounds if returning to a project, instead you’ll have the tools needed to take a closer look at where you can make improvements.

A Learning Environment

In Lean Six Sigma and Agile alike, there is a heavy focus on learning from past experiences. It might be successes, it might be failures, but the important part is to take the lessons and apply them to the next project. As such, if you’ve already got a learning culture cultivated at your organization, you’ve got everything you need to start applying lessons in Agile and Lean Six Six Sigma.

It’s difficult I suppose to move past the notion of processes, but ultimately both of these methodologies are aimed at providing quality outputs to your customers in a timely manner. If you can learn from the valuable lessons each project teaches, you’re well ahead of the competition.

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

Looking for some other tips and tricks to get your morning going? Six Sigma and the retail industry are a natural fit thanks to the overall reduction of inefficiency and the refining of the processes that drive daily operations.

Additionally, you might want to take a closer look at how Lean Six Sigma can be used to transform agriculture into a leaner, meaner version of itself.

Conclusion

Lean Six Sigma and Agile are a great fit when it comes to handling software development. The more time you invest into adapting these methodologies to work in concert with each other, the better your odds are when it comes to arriving to a powerful, flexible means of fulfilling your customer’s needs.

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