Lean Development Toolkit

I went to Mary Poppendieck's tutorial on the Lean Development Toolkit. The following is a sampling of ideas that were most important to me:

An organization's ability to embrace change and deliver fast is a competitive advantage. I see this as a core motivation of agile development.

Software is a development activity, not a production activity. Production activities don't benefit from iterative activities, for example, where as development does.

A resource that isn't 100% utilized is not waste. This is a common misconception. For example, consider a piece of machinery. It may operate optimally at 80%; anything higher can cause burn out. You wouldn't want 100% server utilization. So, don't try to use human resources 100%.

Cost of Delay: On Time Commercialization: Explores a P&L statement that assesses the cost of delay in software. The model is an estimate and intended to serve as a guide for making trade-offs. It is formed with the help of a cost accountant and not intended to be an accurate.

The GE Workout: Don't tell people what to do, ask them. Change the culture: speed, simplicity and self confidence

You cannot repeatedly deliver quality, in a timely manner, without discipline. (I include this because during an open space discussion last night someone tried to argue you don't need discipline to do XP well)