1. Lean Software Process
Handling Muda in the IT Industry
Dhivya Arunagiri
Senior Business Analyst
Thoughtworks, Chennai
March 11th, 2011

2. Muda – The 7 variants
Wastage Due to
1. Over Production
2. Process Failure
3. Bad Quality
4. Transport
5. Inventory
6. Idle Time
7. Operator Motion

3. Muda 1: Overproduction
My client has 5 different types of end users.
Some users have a lot of extra features while
others do not have even the basic ones

4. Requirement Maps

5. Feature Completion Tracker

6. Muda 2: Due to Process Failures
I keep tracking the development effort on a daily basis but
it is a corrective measure. How do I visualize the blockers
slippages as well as Scope Creep upfront?

7. Finger Charts – Data Capture
90% 100% 1.1
Wait Park Rea Buff Point Point
Points
End of Appr for In ed/d dy / er Tota s 1.0 s 1.1 Dev
# 1.0 Scope
Date oved appr Dev esco defin (10% l (100% (100% s
(90%)
oval ped ed ) ) )
Aug-6 1 0 0 8 0 864 86 872 0 0 6 880
Aug-7 2 0 0 8 0 864 86 872 0 0 6 880
1 Aug-8 3 0 0 20 0 852 86 872 5 6 7 6 880
Aug-11 4 0 0 20 0 852 86 872 11 12 13 6 880
Aug-12 5 4 0 28 8 854 86 894 16 18 20 6 880
Aug-13 6 4 0 28 8 854 86 894 22 24 26 6 880
Aug-14 7 4 0 36 0 854 86 894 27 30 33 6 880
2 Aug-15 8 4 0 36 0 854 86 894 27 30 33 6 880
Aug-18 9 4 12 30 66 782 86 894 32 36 40 6 880
Aug-19 10 4 12 36 64 778 86 894 38 42 46 6 880
Aug-20 11 6 22 38 64 764 86 894 43 48 53 6 880
Aug-21 12 14 22 38 66 764 86 904 49 54 59 6 880
3 Aug-22 13 14 24 46 66 758 86 908 54 60 66 6 880
Aug-25 14 14 30 40 68 764 86 916 59 66 73 6 880
Aug-26 15 38 18 34 88 740 86 918 65 72 79 6 880

8. Finger Chart

9. Muda 3: Bad Quality
We have a defect tracking system but
still we end up having a lot of defects.
• Test Driven Development
• Continuous feedback or Kaizen

10. Cycle Time Tracker

11. Muda 4: Transport
My team has grown. Status Communication is
becoming a major issue.

12. Story Wall

13. Muda 5: Inventory
My Client is in a volatile industry. By the time, we
release a feature, parts of it have become redundant
Plan for the current and consecutive
iteration only

14. Muda 6: Idle Time
If one pair slips off on the completion date for a
requirement, the second pair remains idle.

15. Parallelisation

16. Muda 7: Operator Motion
Each developer is specialised in one area. How do we
ensure we disseminate the knowledge?
• Paired Programming
• Pair Rotation

17. A quick recap….

18. Thank You !!!
Questions??