Jayaram Hegde Oct 02, 2024

Wonderful read which comprises of Lean, Agile, VSM concepts together in one book . not many books currently talk about or highlight the importance of these concepts so refreshing to see this blend !Highly recommend..

Amazon Verified review

joeltrane Sep 26, 2024

After reading through The Lean-Agile Way, I was blown away by how comprehensive and pragmatic the authors have made adopting Lean, Agile, and VSM principles. Although, if you are familiar with Gary, Steve, Richard and Al's work, then this should not be much of a surprise, as these gentleman are respected industry veterans.The first part of the book opens with an overview of the common challenges faced by today's business in our contemporary digital landscape. Additionally, you'll receive a brief review of Lean/Agile principles and fundamentals. While these concepts shouldn't be anything new to those that are seasoned practitioners, it is valuable reading for the newly initiated, or those wanting a refresher. This first part of the book wraps up by outlining the ways that Lean and Value Stream Management intersect, demonstrating how these practices help optimize productivity, efficiency, and quality, and accelerate your ability to deliver customer-centric value.Key topics in part one include: Key Elements of Lean Thinking, Three pillars of Lean-Agile, Describing the VSM methodology, Understanding the foundations of business agility, Understanding the Scrum Sprint cycle, Identifying waste and constraints, Mapping a value stream, and Prioritizing value flows.In the second part of the book, readers are offered a comprehensive overview of Value Stream Management, including VSM principles and practical ways to apply them. The authors do a great job of presenting all of the crucial principles of VSM in an easily digestible manner and without watering the concepts down, or overwhelming the reader. For those new to Value Stream Management, this sections is a joy to read and not to be missed. Later on, in part two of the book, the reader will become engrossed with a VSM deep dive. Not only does this section cover a brief history of how VSM has been implemented at organizations in the past, but it also offers a detailed roadmap that can be easily implemented by the reader. Further along in part two, the reader is shown the nuts-and-bolts of Value Stream Optimization. This includes strategies to steer an enterprise away from organizing work around projects and moving towards organizing work around products. Additionally, this section enlightens the reader on ways to orientate their organization around flow, holistically, through a big picture lens. At the conclusion of part two of the book, the reader is shown how to organize various value streams around what is referred to as a value stream network. Essentially, this means ensuring that each value stream is focused on producing individual products of superior quality and that each of them is synergistically connected. The aim of this is to be sure that no waste is accrued and the entire network of discreet value streams are orchestrated intelligently towards delivering customer value.Key topics in part two include: Understanding the taxonomy of value streams, Avoiding the pitfalls of local optimization, Defining the VSM process using the E9 methodology, Exploring reverse value stream mapping, Recognizing when a product or service has reached its EOL, Exploring the VSM Implementation Roadmap, Implementing Value Stream Management, Comparing VSM methodology and the VSM implementation roadmap, Shifting from projects to products, Understanding flow at organizational and individual levels, Identifying obstacles to streamlined workflows, Seeing the organization in terms of flow, Mapping flow, Balancing innovation and efficiency in value streams, Optimizing value streams, Synchronizing core and supportive workflows, Organizing value stream networks, Connecting value streams to customer journeys, Visualizing organizational workflow, Guiding value stream strategy and investments, Evolving a value stream network, Streamlining product and platform value streams.In the third part of the book, the reader is shown two powerful strategies that empower organizations to address the dual challenge of maintaining Lean and Agile practices while effectively delivering value. These two strategies are: Implementing the Basic Lean-Agile Solution Team (BLAST) and Defining a Business Agility System for the Enterprise (BASE). BLAST facilitates the development of point solutions by blending Lean efficiency with Agile adaptability across multiple small teams working in collaboration on a particular problem. It underscores the crucial role of domain experts, working collaboratively across Lean-oriented and Agile-oriented teams in enhancing various processes, products, and systems. On the other hand, BASE organizes, synchronizes, and integrates work across the enterprise to ensure the successful delivery of value-based products and services to external customers. It enables organizations to navigate evolving market demands by aligning investments with strategic goals and establishing a consistent cadence for product and service delivery. In my opinion, part three of this book is a real standout, showing the reader how to make real effectual change in their organization, but in an actionable way. I'm sure that these concepts will be new to many readers and a welcomed addition to their delivery strategies.Key topics in part three include: Implementing Basic Lean-Agile Solutions Teams (BLAST), Categorizing BLAST work activities, Integrating Lean-Agile development concepts, Optimizing Development Cadences and Value Deliveries, Facilitating collaboration at scale – the team-of-teams approach, Embracing Lean-Agile management practices, Defining the virtuous circle for continuous improvement, Understanding the four tenets of the BASE, Eight BASE business processes, Delivering value across the product life cycle, Continuously improving value delivery.In the fourth and final part of the book, the reader is shown how to bring everything together into actionable strategies. Consider this last segment of the book as a practical toolkit for taking theoretical knowledge and turning them into relatable implementation playbook. The focus here is on constructing a versatile business methodology that adapts to the many demands of modern enterprises, including commercial industries, non-profits, and government agencies.Key topics in part four include: Addressing Data challenges and opportunities , Organizing business objectives, Facilitating informed decision-making, Conducting BRIA workshops for strategic alignment, Leveraging AI-based tools to support BRIA workshops, navigating Lean-Agile implementation challenges, Fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement, Building cross-functional teams and encouraging collaboration, Leveraging data and analytics for decision-making, Adopting a change management framework, Addressing labor’s declining share of GDP, Connecting cross-cutting themes and real-world examples , Reviewing real-world case studiesAt 386 pages in length, I think the authors did an incredible job of packing so much information into so little space. What is remarkable about this book is that it makes Lean, Agile, and VSM principles so clear and easy to understand, without diluting their meaning or boring the reader with too much detail. I think that anyone that is new to these concepts will enjoy how the information is presented, making it attainable to the reader. Even experienced enterprise leaders will have a world to gain by understanding the concepts in this book, as I'm sure there are some nuggets that will be fresh to them; there's something for everyone in here. I think the authors of this book provided everything that is needed for the audience to begin transforming their organizations towards adopting superior Lean, Agile, and VSM strategies. However, I do worry that many organizations might not have the discipline or political will to implement them. However, if the leadership at an enterprise does choose to implement these strategies, they have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Amazon Verified review

Peter Sperling Oct 04, 2024

The authors masterfully “pull together” the concepts of Lean, Agile, Value Stream Management, Flow, and Theory of Constraints to provide a comprehensive guide to Product Management in the 21st century.

Amazon Verified review

Spikael Schnefly Oct 29, 2024

I received an advance copy of the book. I have good things to say about it but I haven't had time to write my review. I will though later and replace this with it.

Amazon Verified review

Robert Wen Oct 07, 2024

The past several years has seen a reckoning of any method of work described as Agile in the business world. Scrum masters and Agile coaches have faced layoffs, and their method have come into question as results have fallen far below expectations. This reckoning has exposed many faults including incomplete understanding of how to make work truly happen.Many have advocated for complementing Agile ways of working with Lean Thinking so that the work committed for evaluation by the customer can be done by eliminating waste and understanding the underlying processes and optimizing those processes. This is the key focus of Cecil “Gary” Rupp, Richard Knaster, Steve Pereira, and Al Shalloway in their latest collaborative effort, The Lean-Agile Way: Unleash Business Results in the Digital Era with Value Stream Management.In this book the authors understand that the instruction of Lean Thinking is a journey with many stops along the way. They format this journey by wisely dividing the book in several parts.Part 1 looks at the values and principles of Lean. The authors not only show the basic values and contexts of Lean, but where they can intertwine with Agile thought.The authors move from principle to practice in Part 2 by introducing Value Stream Management, a key tool for identifying and maintaining Flow. They teach methods for identifying the multiple types of value streams that may be present in an organization. Once identified, the authors deftly move to maintain and improving the identified value stream networks.Part 3 now takes what we have learned in Parts 1 and 2 and applies them into a transformation. The authors show the lessons of a Lean-Agile approach by introducing the BLAST (Basic Lean-Agile Solution Teams) framework, an abstracted structure for teams of teams to apply Lean-Agile precepts and utilize Value Stream Management to effectively deliver increments of value to customers.But the authors continue to show how to apply the Lean-Agile approach beyond development toward the enterprise. They showcase this approach in Business Agility System for the Enterprise (BASE) to bring in customer centricity.The authors then conclude by introducing tactics on incrementally steering organizational change in Part 4. They show how to prioritize the improvements, foster the change, and demonstrate its effectiveness through real world case-studies.This book is a comprehensive resource for those looking to move beyond normal Agile practices and frameworks to enable a higher level of performance for teams, programs, products, and eventually enterprises. It guides the reader to using Lean to compliment Agile frameworks such as Scrum for better outcomes that translate to real gains.

Amazon Verified review

FAQs

What is the delivery time and cost of print book?

Shipping Details

USA:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.

Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

Afghanistan
American Samoa
Belarus
Brunei Darussalam
Central African Republic
The Democratic Republic of Congo
Eritrea
Guinea-bissau
Iran
Lebanon
Libiya Arab Jamahriya
Somalia
Sudan
Russian Federation
Syrian Arab Republic
Ukraine
Venezuela

What is custom duty/charge?

Customs duty are charges levied on goods when they cross international borders. It is a tax that is imposed on imported goods. These duties are charged by special authorities and bodies created by local governments and are meant to protect local industries, economies, and businesses.

Do I have to pay customs charges for the print book order?

The orders shipped to the countries that are listed under EU27 will not bear custom charges. They are paid by Packt as part of the order.

List of EU27 countries: www.gov.uk/eu-eea:

A custom duty or localized taxes may be applicable on the shipment and would be charged by the recipient country outside of the EU27 which should be paid by the customer and these duties are not included in the shipping charges been charged on the order.

How do I know my custom duty charges?

The amount of duty payable varies greatly depending on the imported goods, the country of origin and several other factors like the total invoice amount or dimensions like weight, and other such criteria applicable in your country.

For example:

If you live in Mexico, and the declared value of your ordered items is over $ 50, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 19% which will be $ 9.50 to the courier service.
Whereas if you live in Turkey, and the declared value of your ordered items is over € 22, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 18% which will be € 3.96 to the courier service.

How can I cancel my order?

Cancellation Policy for Published Printed Books:

You can cancel any order within 1 hour of placing the order. Simply contact [email protected] with your order details or payment transaction id. If your order has already started the shipment process, we will do our best to stop it. However, if it is already on the way to you then when you receive it, you can contact us at [email protected] using the returns and refund process.

Please understand that Packt Publishing cannot provide refunds or cancel any order except for the cases described in our Return Policy (i.e. Packt Publishing agrees to replace your printed book because it arrives damaged or material defect in book), Packt Publishing will not accept returns.

What is your returns and refunds policy?

Return Policy:

We want you to be happy with your purchase from Packtpub.com. We will not hassle you with returning print books to us. If the print book you receive from us is incorrect, damaged, doesn't work or is unacceptably late, please contact Customer Relations Team on [email protected] with the order number and issue details as explained below:

If you ordered (eBook, Video or Print Book) incorrectly or accidentally, please contact Customer Relations Team on [email protected] within one hour of placing the order and we will replace/refund you the item cost.
Sadly, if your eBook or Video file is faulty or a fault occurs during the eBook or Video being made available to you, i.e. during download then you should contact Customer Relations Team within 14 days of purchase on [email protected] who will be able to resolve this issue for you.
You will have a choice of replacement or refund of the problem items.(damaged, defective or incorrect)
Once Customer Care Team confirms that you will be refunded, you should receive the refund within 10 to 12 working days.
If you are only requesting a refund of one book from a multiple order, then we will refund you the appropriate single item.
Where the items were shipped under a free shipping offer, there will be no shipping costs to refund.

On the off chance your printed book arrives damaged, with book material defect, contact our Customer Relation Team on [email protected] within 14 days of receipt of the book with appropriate evidence of damage and we will work with you to secure a replacement copy, if necessary. Please note that each printed book you order from us is individually made by Packt's professional book-printing partner which is on a print-on-demand basis.

What tax is charged?

Currently, no tax is charged on the purchase of any print book (subject to change based on the laws and regulations). A localized VAT fee is charged only to our European and UK customers on eBooks, Video and subscriptions that they buy. GST is charged to Indian customers for eBooks and video purchases.

What payment methods can I use?

You can pay with the following card types:

Visa Debit
Visa Credit
MasterCard
PayPal

What is the delivery time and cost of print books?

Shipping Details

USA:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

Afghanistan
American Samoa
Belarus
Brunei Darussalam
Central African Republic
The Democratic Republic of Congo
Eritrea
Guinea-bissau
Iran
Lebanon
Libiya Arab Jamahriya
Somalia
Sudan
Russian Federation
Syrian Arab Republic
Ukraine
Venezuela

The Lean-Agile Way: Unleash business results in the digital era with value stream management

What do you get with Print?