The hidden pitfalls of Kanban in software development

ABSTRACT: Objectives of the Study: The objective of this thesis is to explore the hidden pitfalls of Kanban in software development. The aim is to discover the reasons behind the pitfalls and actions that nourish Kanban's failure. Academic background and methodology: Software development industry has been shifting towards more iterative, responsive and people-oriented development methods, which present the values of lean and agile thinking. Being characterized as the antidote for bureaucracy, the shift towards agile development methodologies has been one of the most significant factors affecting the software industry. Kanban as an agile change management framework has been perceived as the fairy godmother of software development making the reasons behind struggling Kanban projects particularly interesting. Thesis interviews five agile experts in the software development and studies their experiences of unsuccessful Kanban implementations. Emphasis is given to similar experiences and perceptions on how Kanban fails to redeem its value proposition. Findings: The primary finding of the study is that an organization that is unable to change its mindset to support Kanban is a pitfall affecting the whole project, inevitably causing Kanban to fail. This is a challenge that all agile methods have in common. Agile can flourish only when agile values are being appreciated. The secondary finding is that many software teams claiming to be using Kanban have implemented only a shallow imitation of the real method thus creating a superficial implementation, which prevents achieving Kanban induced benefits. Thus, creating a superficial implementation, which prevents achieving Kanban induced benefits. Furthermore, the erroneous human interpretation of what Kanban really is and how to apply it correctly is a key factor contributing to the emerge of the pitfalls. Keywords: Kanban, software development, pitfall, agile, change management, framewor

An investigation upon Industry 4.0 implementation: the case of small and medium enterprises and Lean organizations

In recent years, industries have undergone several shifts in their operating and management systems. Alongside to the technological innovation, rapid market changes and high competitiveness; growing customer needs are driving industries to focus on producing highly customized products with even less time to market. In this context, Industry 4.0 is a manufacturing paradigm that promises to have a great impact not only on improving productivity but also on developing new products, services and business models. However, the literature review has shown that research on Industry 4.0 implementation is still characterized by some weaknesses and gaps (e.g., topics such as the implementation of Industry 4.0 in SMEs and its integration with Lean Management approach). Motivated by so, this thesis sought to answer four key questions: (RQ1) What are the challenges and opportunities for SMEs in the Industry 4.0 field? (RQ2) What are the resources and capabilities for Industry 4.0 implementation in SMEs? (RQ3) How can these resources and capabilities be acquired and/or developed and (RQ4) How to integrate Industry 4.0 and Lean Management? To deal with the first research question, a semi-systematic literature review in the Industry 4.0 field was conducted. The main goal is to explore the implementation of Industry 4.0 in SMEs in order to identify common challenges and opportunities for SMEs in the Industry 4.0 era. To face with the second and third research questions, a multiple case study research was conducted to pursue two main aims: (1) to identify the resources and capabilities required to implement Industry 4.0 in Portuguese SMEs. Furthermore, based on mainstream theories such as resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capability theory, it sought empirical evidence on how SMEs use resources and capabilities to gain sustainable competitive advantage; (2) to shed light on how those SMEs acquire and/or develop the Industry 4.0 resources and capabilities. Finally, this thesis employed a semi-systematic literature review methodology to deal with the fourth research question. As such, it explored the synergistic relationship between Industry 4.0 and Lean Management to identify the main trends in this field of research and, ultimately, the best practices. The analysis and discussion of the best practices revealed a set of potential relationships which provided a more clear understanding of the outcomes of an Industry 4.0-LM integration.Nos últimos anos, as indústrias têm passado por várias mudanças tanto nos seus sistemas operacionais, como de gestão. Juntamente com a inovação tecnológica e alta competitividade; as mudanças nas necessidades dos clientes levaram as indústrias a se concentrarem na produção de produtos altamente personalizados e com tempo de lançamento no mercado cade vez menores. Nesse contexto, a Indústria 4.0 é um paradigma de manufatura que promete ter um grande impacto não só na melhoria da produtividade, mas também no desenvolvimento de novos produtos, serviços e modelos de negócios. No entanto, a revisão da literatura mostrou que a investigação sobre a implementação da Indústria 4.0 ainda é caracterizada por algumas lacunas (por exemplo em tópicos como a implementação da Indústria 4.0 em pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs) e sua integração com a filosofia de gestão Lean Management). Diante disso, esta tese procura responder à quatro questões-chave: (RQ1) Quais são os desafios e oportunidades para as PMEs no campo da Indústria 4.0? (RQ2) Quais são os recursos e capacidades necessários para a implementação da Indústria 4.0 nas PMEs? (RQ3) Como esses recursos e capacidades podem ser adquiridos e/ou desenvolvidos e (RQ4) Como integrar os paradigmas de manufatura, Indústria 4.0 e Lean Management? Para responder à primeira questão de investigação, este trabalho empregou uma revisão semi-sistemática da literatura. O objetivo principal foi explorar a implementação da Indústria 4.0 nas PMEs, a fim de identificar quais são os desafios e oportunidades para as PMEs na era da Indústria 4.0. Para fazer face à segunda e terceira questões de investigação, foi realizado um estudo de caso em 5 PMEs localizadas em Portugal a fim de atingir os seguintes objetivos: (1) identificar os recursos e capacidades necessários para implementar a Indústria 4.0 nas PME portuguesas; (2) esclarecer como essas PMEs adquirem e/ou desenvolvem esses recursos e capacidades. Além disso, com base nas teorias resourcebased view (RBV) e dynamic capabilities, buscar evidências empíricas sobre como as PMEs usam recursos e capacidades para obter vantagem competitiva sustentável. Finalmente, para lidar com a quarta questão de investigação, este estudo explorou a relação sinérgica entre a Indústria 4.0 e a filosofia de gestão Lean Management (LM) para identificar as principais tendências neste campo de investigação e promover as melhores práticas. A análise e discussão das melhores práticas revelaram um conjunto de potenciais relações, o que contribuiu para um entendimento mais claro sobre a integração da Indústria 4.0 com LM

Lean Thinking in Software Development : Impacts of Kanban on Projects

The history of software development in a somewhat systematical way has been performed for half a century. Despite this time period, serious failures in software development projects still occur. The pertinent mission of software project management is to continuously achieve more and more successful projects. The application of agile software methods and more recently the integration of Lean practices contribute to this trend of continuous improvement in the software industry. One such area warranting proper empirical evidence is the operational efficiency of projects. In the field of software development, Kanban as a process management method has gained momentum recently, mostly due to its linkages to Lean thinking. However, only a few empirical studies investigate the impacts of Kanban on projects in that particular area. The aim of this doctoral thesis is to improve the understanding of how Kanban impacts on software projects. The research is carried out in the area of Lean thinking, which contains a variety of concepts including Kanban. This article-type thesis conducts a set of case studies expanded with the research strategy of quasi-controlled experiment. The data-gathering techniques of interviews, questionnaires, and different types of observations are used to study the case projects, and thereby to understand the impacts of Kanban on software development projects. The research papers of the thesis are refereed, international journal and conference publications. The results highlight new findings regarding the application of Kanban in the software context. The key findings of the thesis suggest that Kanban is applicable to software development. Despite its several benefits reported in this thesis, the empirical evidence implies that Kanban is not all-encompassing but requires additional practices to keep development projects performing appropriately. Implications for research are given, as well. In addition to these findings, the thesis contributes in the area of plan-driven software development by suggesting implications both for research and practitioners. As a conclusion, Kanban can benefit software development projects but additional practices would increase its potential for the projects.Virtaviivaiseen ajatteluun (Lean thinking) perustuvaa Kanban-tuotannonohjausmenetelmää on alettu soveltaa prosessimallina ohjelmistotuotannossa. Tällä Japanissa kehitetyllä menetelmällä saavutettiin viime vuosisadan puolessa välissä kehittäjämaan autoteollisuudessa merkittävä kilpailuetu länsimaihin verrattuna. Väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan menetelmän soveltuvuutta ohjelmistotuotantoon, joka prosessinäkökulmasta poikkeaa autonvalmistuksesta. Tulosten mukaan Kanban-menetelmä oikein sovellettuna tehostaa ohjelmistotuotantoprosessia. Virtaviivaisen ajattelun hyötyihin lukeutuvat muun muassa arvoa tuottamattoman työn vähentyminen, hyödyttömän odotusajan minimointi sekä vain tarpeellisten ominaisuuksien toteuttaminen lopputuotteeseen. Ohjelmistoprojektin johtamisessa näiden hyötyjen saavuttaminen merkitsee perinteisistä prosessimalleista luopumista. Virtaviivaisuuteen perustuvaa Kanban-tuotannonohjausmenetelmää on alettu hiljattain soveltaa ohjelmistotuotannossa prosessimallina. Vähäisestä tutkimuksesta johtuen Kanbanin vaikutuksia ohjelmistotuotantoon ei toistaiseksi ole kuitenkaan tunnettu. Väitöskirjatutkimuksen mukaan ohjelmistokehittäjät kokivat Kanbanin intuitiiviseksi ja motivoivaksi menetelmäksi, mikä jo sinällään lisää työn tuottavuutta. Kanbanin avulla kyettiin välttämään turhaa työtä, tehostamaan sekä ongelmanratkaisua että päätöksentekoa ja lisäämään kommunikointia. Tulos tarjoaa merkittävän hyödyntämismahdollisuuden nykyiselle ohjelmistokehitykselle, jossa turhan työn määrä ja keskittyminen toissijaisiin asioihin kasvattavat kustannuksia, lisäävät vastoinkäymisiä ja sitä kautta vähentävät työntekijöiden työmotivaatiota. Kanban visualisoi työprosessin, mikä auttaa hallitsemaan projektitoimintaa joustavasti ja koherentisti: projektin tilanne, ongelmakohdat ja resurssien kuormitus nähdään yhdellä silmäyksellä, ja ongelmien korjaamiseen voidaan siirtää resursseja ilman oleellisia haittavaikutuksia. Yksinkertaisena menetelmänä Kanban sisältää vain vähän ohjeistusta, mikä toisaalta sallii resurssien optimoinnin, mutta toisaalta on yksin riittämätön ohjelmistoprojektin hallitsemiseen kokonaisvaltaisesti. Menetelmän tehokas käyttö edellyttää myös kokemust

Lean project management an application in reserch and technological development (RTD) projects

219 p.Las herramientas y los principios del Lean Thinking se han propuesto como un posible enfoque paracomplementar la gestión de proyectos al centrarse en la creación de valor, la mejora continua y lareducción de actividades que no añaden valor. La aplicación combinada de estos dos conceptos se conocecomo Lean Project Management. El enfoque de Lean Project Management se aplica para la mejora delrendimiento de los proyectos en una amplia gama de sectores, como la construcción, el desarrollo desoftware e incluso recientemente a proyectos de investigación y desarrollo, aunque se ha encontrado pocaevidencia de su aplicación conjunta. Para la mejora continua y la mejora de la gestión, es crucial definirlos Indicadores Clave de Rendimiento (KPI) de la organización. La gestión de proyectos Lean es un granapoyo para este propósito. El objetivo de esta tesis es investigar la integración del Lean con la gestión deproyectos y su aplicación en organizaciones basadas en proyectos. Esta tesis proporciona una exhaustivarevisión sistemática de la literatura publicada y la correlación con los indicadores clave de rendimiento delos proyectos. Se presenta un modelo de Lean Project Management que enmarca las herramientas deLean combinados con conceptos y prácticas de gestión de proyectos. Se realiza un estudio de caso en unaempresa basada en proyectos de Investigación y DesarrolloTecnológico (IDT) aplicando el modelo degestión de proyectos Lean propuesto para la identificación de los K

Is communication evolving?

Oppgaven handler om utfordringene i informasjonsflyten mellom ledelsen og produkusjonen i et høy variasjon - lavt volum miljø. Hvor det ble utforsket på hvordan en digital tilnærming av Lean prinsippet kan forbedre informasjons flyten. Det ble utført en case studie gjennom en norsk produksjons bedrift som faller under miljøet høy variajson - lavt volum