Lean software process

This paper shows how the concepts of lean manufacturing can be successfully applied to software development. The key lean concept is to have a minimum of work in progress, which forces problems into the open. The time is then taken to fix the production system so the errors will not occur again.

Lean Software Management: BBC Worldwide Case Study

This case study examines how the lean ideas behind the Toyota production system can be applied to software project management. It is a detailed investigation of the performance of a nine-person software development team employed by BBC Worldwide based in London. The data collected in 2009 involved direct observations of the development team, the kanban boards, the daily stand-up meetings, semistructured interviews with a wide variety of staff, and statistical analysis. The evidence shows that over the 12-month period, lead time to deliver software improved by 37%, consistency of delivery rose by 47%, and defects reported by customers fell 24%. The significance of this work is showing that the use of lean methods including visual management, team-based problem solving, smaller batch sizes, and statistical process control can improve software development. It also summarizes key differences between agile and lean approaches to software development. The conclusion is that the performance of the software development team was improved by adopting a lean approach. The faster delivery with a focus on creating the highest value to the customer also reduced both technical and market risks. The drawbacks are that it may not fit well with existing corporate standards.

A work-based research assessment of the impact of 'lean manufacturing' on health and safety education within an SME

Globalisation has had a major impact on the engineering industry as pacific Rim countries undercut manufacturing costs and provide a more cost-effective location for many businesses. Engineering in Nortehrn Ireland has mostly declined owing to increased competition from these countries. Engineering companies are now forced to streamline their production processes and employ cost-reducing practices in order to meet customer demands at reduced prices. This article aims to analyse the effects of one such streamlining endeavour which was first introduced after World War II in Japan- 'lean manufacturing' . 'Lean manufacturing' aims to reduce all wasteful activities within the production process in order to improve productivity, while reducing manufacturing costs. The work-based project under consideration was concerned with the impact 'lean manufacturing' may have on health and safety performance and education within an engineering company. The focus of the project was to determine through work-based research, and quantitative analysis, the employee perception on health and safety: has it changed (either positively or negatively), as a consequence of implementing 'lean manufacturing'.

Regeneration mechanism of a Lean NOx Trap (LNT) catalyst in the presence of NO investigated using isotope labelling techniques

The presence of NO during the regeneration period of a Pt-Ba/Al O Lean NO Trap (LNT) catalyst modifies significantly the evolution of products formed from the reduction of stored nitrates, particularly nitrogen and ammonia. The use of isotope labelling techniques, feeding NO during the storage period and NO during regeneration allows us to propose three different routes for nitrogen formation based on the different masses detected during regeneration, i.e. N (m/e = 28), N N (m/e = 29) and N (m/e = 30). It is proposed that the formation of nitrogen via Route 1 involves the reaction between hydrogen and NO released from the storage component to form NH mainly. Then, ammonia further reacts with NO located downstream to form N . In Route 2, it is postulated that the incoming NO reacts with hydrogen to form NH in the reactor zone where the trap has been already regenerated. This isotopically labelled ammonia travels through the catalyst bed until it reaches the regeneration front where it participates in the reduction of stored nitrates ( NO ) to form N N. The formation of N via Route 3 is believed to occur by the reaction between incoming NO and H . The modification of the hydrogen concentration fed during regeneration affects the relative importance of H or NH as reductants and thus the production of N via Route 1 and N N via Route 2.

The role of Lean at the interface with between operations management and applied services within a large aerospace organisation: a boundary spanning perspective

Increased complexity in large design and manufacturing organisations requires improvements at the operations management (OM)–applied service (AS) interface areas to improve project effectiveness. The aim of this paper is explore the role of Lean in improving the longitudinal efficiency of the OM–AS interface within a large aerospace organisation using Lean principles and boundary spanning theory. The methodology was an exploratory longitudinal case approach including exploratory interviews (n = 21), focus groups (n = 2), facilitated action-research workshops (n = 2) and two trials or experiments using longitudinal data involving both OM and AS personnel working at the interface. The findings draw upon Lean principles and boundary spanning theory to guide and interpret the findings. It was found that misinterpretation, and forced implementation, of OM-based Lean terminology and practice in the OM–AS interface space led to delays and misplaced resources. Rather both OM and AS staff were challenged to develop a cross boundary understanding of Lean-based boundary (knowledge) objects in interpreting OM requests. The longitudinal findings from the experiments showed that the development of Lean Performance measurements and lean Value Stream constructs was more successful when these Lean constructs were treated as boundary (knowledge) objects requiring transformation over time to orchestrate improved effectiveness and in leading to consistent terminology and understanding between the OM–AS boundary spanning team.