What is Lean-Agile Mindset? Definition and Overview

Have you ever wondered why some people succeed effortlessly while others struggle despite their best efforts? The answer may lie in their mindset.

Mindset is a term introduced by psychologist Carol Dweck to describe people's attitudes toward learning and challenge. People with fixed mindsets believe that their intelligence and abilities are fixed traits that cannot be changed. On the other hand, people with a growth mindset believe that their intelligence and skills can be developed through effort and practice.

Recent research has shown that a growth mindset can lead to greater success. People with a growth mindset are more likely to take on challenges, persevere in the face of setbacks, and learn from their mistakes. They are also more likely to be successful in their careers and relationships.

What is Agile?

The Agile methodology is a set of principles and practices for software development that helps organizations deliver value to their customers faster and with less risk. Agile is an iterative and incremental approach to software development that leverages the power of collaboration, flexibility, and customer feedback to deliver high-quality software quickly.

Agile principles are based on four fundamental values:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change by following a plan

The Agile methodology has been widely adopted in the software development industry and is increasingly used in other sectors. If you're new to Agile, this blog post will briefly introduce the fundamental concepts of Agile and how it can benefit your organization.

Lean-Agile Mindset

The Lean-Agile Mindset combines the beliefs, assumptions, attitudes, and actions of SAFe leaders and practitioners who embrace the concepts of Lean Thinking and the Agile Manifesto. It’s the personal, intellectual, and leadership foundation for adopting and applying SAFe principles and practices.

The Lean-Agile mindset forms the cornerstone of a new way of working and an enhanced company culture that enables Business Agility. It provides leaders and change agents with the tools to drive a successful SAFe transformation, helping individuals and enterprises achieve their goals.

Why Adopt a Lean-Agile Mindset?

Adopting a lean-agile mindset is essential for business success in today's constantly changing digital world. But what exactly is a lean agile mindset?

In simple terms, a lean-agile mindset is a way of thinking that emphasizes speed, flexibility, and customer focus. It is based on the principle of continuous improvement, which means that businesses are always looking for ways to become more efficient and effective.

There are many reasons why businesses should adopt a lean-agile mindset. Here are three of the most important ones:

1. A lean agile mindset helps businesses respond quickly to change.
2. A lean agile mindset helps businesses focus on the customer.
3. A lean agile mindset helps businesses continuously improve.

What Are The Principles Of Lean Thinking?

Lean Thinking aims to provide the customer with the most significant value (a solution) in the quickest amount of time that can be maintained between the trigger (the discovery of the need or opportunity) and the moment the customer gets the value. It concerns how value is produced as well.

Lean Thinking's core principles and advantages include high quality, regard for people and society, high morale, safety, and client satisfaction. Applying the five core Lean principles—illustrated in Figure and explained in the subsequent sections—is necessary to reach these objectives.

1. Precisely Specify Value By Specific Product

Every business is designed to produce value. Only the final customer has the ability to determine value. And it only makes sense when described in terms of a particular commodity or service—often both at once—that satisfies the customer's requirements at a particular cost at a particular moment.

Therefore, the first Lean Thinking principle emphasizes the significance of comprehending clients' requirements and calculating the intrinsic worth of the solutions provided. The customer eventually decides the value of the answer, not the project, effort, or procedure that created it.

2. Identify The Value Stream For Each Product

Following the definition of "value" for each product and client category, the next Lean Thinking concept describes how the company produces that value, from finding a need or opportunity to providing the answer. The value stream, which consists of the people, procedures, equipment, and data required to produce value, is this movement of work. Anywhere in this structure where there is a delay, the consumer receives less value.

3. Make Value Flow Without Interruptions

Establishing a continuous, uninterrupted flow of work that supports the creation of incremental value based on ongoing input and modification is the third Lean Thinking concept.

Continuous flow allows quicker, longer-lasting value creation thanks to Built-In Quality practices, relentless development, and evidence-based administration. Applying and comprehending the eight basic flow characteristics—visualizing and restricting work-in-process (WIP), resolving obstacles, and minimizing hand—are necessary for achieving a constant flow of value.

4. Let The Customer Pull Value From The Producer

The following Lean principle instructs businesses to set up value lines so that customers draw solutions into the market based on their real requirements rather than teams pushing solutions based on what they "think" customers need. This is crucial for determining the value stream's capability. Waste occurs when capacity exceeds market demand, which is in opposition to lean reasoning. The intention to give the client a constant flow of value is defeated by too little capacity, which leads to bottlenecks and delays.

5. Pursue Perfection

Lean Thinking's fourth and concluding rule is to "strive for perfection." It illustrates that establishing a quick and efficient movement of value requires ongoing effort, regardless of how closely the first five principles are observed. A value stream may need to be modified or, in some instances, wholly remade depending on market trends, client requirements, and available technologies.

Benefits Of Adopting Lean-Agile Mindset

• 1The quickest and most possible lead times are used for product development and delivery.
• 2Teams have strong staff involvement and morale.
• 3Changes in culture are initiated by leaders and accepted by everyone in the organization. It continues.
• 4The value distribution flow is optimized to give value in the shortest amount of time. Unnecessary waste is taken out of the system.
• 5The value stream is optimized by limiting WIP, eliminating waste in the most significant bottlenecks, controlling the queue's duration, etc.
• 6The long-term focus of mentality is more on products than projects. (with fixed deadlines)
• 7The philosophy of the company includes innovation. The entire organization is allowed time and room to innovate. Everyone is inventive.
• 8Their daily lives involve receiving input quickly and efficiently. Customers' and consumers' feedback is incorporated more rapidly into the product.
• 9Product concepts are quickly approved and changed without remorse or consideration for others.
• 10Through the application of "whole optimization" reasoning, the organization keeps getting better. Instead of optimizing the separate parts, they take a systems-level approach.
• 11Every aspect of the organization continually evaluates essential turning points in its behavior, implementation, and improvement. This occurs more frequently. Facts are always the foundation for enhancements; views or intuitive instincts never are. To identify the truth and underlying cause of a problem, lean methods like a fishbone, Y-Y analysis, Pareto analysis, etc. are used.
• 12The method includes ongoing research into the industry, users, and their requirements.
• 13The duties of a boss are never assigned. They carefully carry out their knowledge of what needs to be done to move the organization towards lean agile.
• 14Before implementing Lean and Agile with their employees, leaders must first adopt these principles.
• 15They actively participate in eliminating obstacles that the teams encounter.

Conclusion

If your business has not yet adopted a lean-agile mindset, now is the time. The benefits are clear, and the risks of not doing so are too significant. So what is holding you back from achieving your full potential? If you have a fixed mindset, it’s time to start changing your thinking and developing a growth mindset.

In conclusion, it is evident that adopting a lean-agile mindset is essential for any business looking to improve its performance. The agile mindset enables companies to respond quickly to change, embrace new ideas, and continually evolve. Furthermore, the lean mindset helps businesses to identify and eliminate waste, resulting in greater efficiency and productivity.

Companies that adopt both the lean and agile mindset will be well-positioned to succeed in the ever-changing business landscape. Read on to learn more about mindset and how you can change your mindset to achieve success in all areas of yours.