Table of Contents

Foreword        xi
Introduction: Framing        xiii
Acknowledgments        xxi

Chapter 1: Systems Thinking        1
A Different Way to Run an Airline     2
Frame 1: Customer Focus     6
Frame 2: System Capability     13
Frame 3: End-to-End Flow     19
Frame 4: Policy-Driven Waste      24
Portrait: Product Champion, Take 1     36
Your Shot      42

Chapter 2: Technical Excellence        45
Facts, Fads, and Fallacies     46
Frame 5: Essential Complexity      63
Frame 6: Quality by Construction     70
Frame 7: Evolutionary Development     83
Frame 8: Deep Expertise      89
Portrait: Competency Leader     95
Your Shot     97

Chapter 3: Reliable Delivery        101
Race to the Sky     102
Frame 9: Proven Experience     108
Frame 10: Level Workflow     114
Frame 11: Pull Scheduling     129
Frame 12: Adaptive Control     143
Portrait: Product Champion, Take 2     147
Your Shot     150

Chapter 4: Relentless Improvement        153
Sick Hospitals     154
Frame 13: Visualize Perfection     159
Frame 14: Establish a Baseline     163
Frame 15: Expose Problems      169
Frame 16: Learn to Improve      173
Portrait: Manager as Mentor      183
Your Shot      185

Chapter 5: Great People        187
Cultural Assumptions     188
Frame 17: Knowledge Workers     196
Frame 18: The Norm of Reciprocity     200
Frame 19: Mutual Respect      203
Frame 20: Pride of Workmanship     209
Portrait: Front-Line Leaders     212
Your Shot     216

Chapter 6: Aligned Leaders        219
Agile@IBM     220
Frame 21: From Theory to Practice     228
Frame 22: Governance     230
Frame 23: Alignment     236
Frame 24: Sustainability     242
Portrait: Leaders at All Levels     244

Bibliography        247
Index        257

About the Author

Mary Poppendieck has led teams implementing various solutions ranging from enterprise supply chain management to digital media. Mary is the president of Poppendieck LLC, which specializes in bringing lean techniques to software development.

Tom Poppendieck, an enterprise analyst, architect, and agile process mentor, currently assists organizations in applying lean principles and tools to software development processes. The Poppendiecks are authors of Lean Software Development, winner of the 2004 Jolt Software Development Productivity Award, and Implementing Lean Software Development (both from Addison-Wesley).