The basic premise to develop the Scaled agile framework is to enable organizations to scale up agile development practices to enterprise scale. One of the key constructs upon which SAFe® is built upon is the ‘Lean-Agile Mindset’. This is defined as ‘the combination of beliefs, assumptions and actions of SAFe® leaders and practitioners who embrace the concepts of the Agile Manifesto & Lean Thinking’. Show Agile provides the thinking and mindset related to achieving high levels of efficiency, productivity, collaboration, team motivation and quality. However, the agile principles work well in the delivery of smaller, less complex solutions rather than applying it to enterprise wide solution implementations. Scaled agile framework requires a wider array of knowledge, skills, leadership and a change in mindset to adopt and apply lean agile principles. Aspects of Lean-Agile Lean Thinking which is primarily defined through SAFe®’s ‘House of Lean’ which was derived from Lean manufacturing inspired by Toyota’s ‘Houses of Lean’. This was then applied to software products and solutions development.
The end goal of any project, however big or small is to deliver value to its stakeholders. The roof of the house is thus represented by delivering value in the shortest possible time ensuring maximum possible quality. Some of the principal pillars hold up the house of lean. They represent respect for people & culture, flow, innovation and relentless improvement to support the end goal of value delivery. Work in any project is carried out by people and thus the respect for people and culture becomes utmost important for any team. Team together face challenges, learn new techniques and skills, solve problems and move forward and make improvements to projects and processes. Managers generally challenge the status quo and empower people to achieve more. The motivator behind this behavior is the team culture. Organizations and leaders must first embrace this culture and then try to instill that in their staff and even beyond organization’s boundaries towards other external stakeholders. It is important to note that culture cannot be changed overnight but can only be molded over time. The 2nd pillar of flow refers to a continuous flow of work to support incremental delivery of value. One main objective of an agile project is to make small increments to the solution over time and to keep on adding business value through continuous delivery. This must also be done while improving on engineering practices, improvements to solution quality and project governance through proper tracking. Visualizing the flow is an important aspect in Agile and in Lean. We all know about the Scrum and Kanban boards in agile projects and how they created visibility of project progress. This same concept must be scaled up with more visibility of tasks, components, modules and even systems with emphasis given to identifying and reducing non-value adding activities. Continuous delivery through DevOps and SysOps through the automation of software engineering, QA and deployment practices thus becomes a pivotal capability for any organization. Innovation is a key pillar in the house of lean and is placed in the middle. No team or organization can be improve or continuously deliver value without innovation. Thus SAFe® encourages team to challenge the norm, continuously explore new frontiers, be creative and move out of their comfort zones. Innovation and Planning sprints are thus a key component in the SAFe® hierarchy. The 4th pillar is to relentlessly improve the product and the processes. Organizations are expected to be learning through review and retrospectives. The foundation of the house of lean is Leadership. Leadership plays a key enabler role for team success and successful adoption and implementation of lean-agile approach depends with the organization’s executive leadership, managers and team leads. Embracing Agility is the 2nd construct in lean-agile. SAFe® is built upon skills, capabilities and aptitude of teams and their leaders. The agile manifesto for software development describes the principles and practices related to carrying out project activities in an agile manner.
Agile motivates teams to be self-organizing and self-healing, to face problems as one single unit, collaborate and solve problems and to continuously build something that can be demonstrated to customers. The objective is to get feedback as soon as possible and make necessary changes as required. The requirement in SAFe® is to apply these same set of values at team level as well as among multiple or large scale teams. SAFe® provides the basis for organizations to plan and build enterprise class applications and that too in an agile manner. It provides organizations with the processes and principles required to successfully apply these practices. The lean-agile values provides the platform for organizations to build their practices on and provides a organized approach to manage and thrive in chaos. Rumesh is an IT business leader with over 12 years of industry experience as a business analyst and project manager. He is currently the CIO of Zaizi Limited, a UK based data management company heading the operations in Sri Lanka, the COO of LearntIn, a global training institute based in Sri Lanka and is also a lecturer / trainer at multiple private universities on management, IT, business analysis and project management subjects. He is the current president of the IIBA Sri Lanka chapter and is one of the most qualified and sought after trainers in Sri Lanka. Refer his LinkedIn profile for more details and to see more articles he has written on linkedin
This visual representation guides organizations in optimizing their manufacturing and operations using the Lean method. It focuses on solving problems and continuously evolving through innovative principles and practices. Find out more about this methodology in the succeeding sections. What is the Goal of the House of Lean?The House of Lean illustrates a clear flow of processes in realizing the Lean method. It shapes the principles and practices that organizations need in carrying out the Lean vision. It can also be used with other frameworks such as SWOT. As mentioned earlier, it likens the Lean process to a house. Each part plays an essential role in holding the Lean house together. For example, the roof (goals) needs the support of sturdy pillars (principles and practices) and a solid foundation (leadership). In other words, the synergy of these elements helps organizations reach their targets. Ultimately, the goal is to provide value to customers using less waste and fewer resources. Toyota House of LeanAfter the Second World War, Toyota pioneered a production system that would radically change the game in the following years. The Toyota Production System (TPS) became the answer to the inefficiencies of the traditional production model. It focused on optimizing production by eliminating waste in the system. This way, companies could deliver products and services of the highest quality at the lowest cost and in the shortest lead time. The Toyota House of Lean, as shown in the diagram below, illustrates the TPS to help organizations better understand how it works. This visualization consists of the roof, the pillars, and the foundations. The following sections will explore these components one by one.  Two-Pillar Toyota House of Lean RoofDeveloping a product, service, or idea begins with the customer in mind. After all, they are the primary consumers of the product, service, or capability. With this in mind, it follows to put them at the top of the House of Lean. The roof represents the organization’s goal: to create the highest quality products at the lowest possible cost and in the shortest lead time. By prioritizing and attaining customer satisfaction, companies gain an advantage over their competitors. So how can companies deliver what their customers want? They need to satisfy these four elements:
PillarsThe Toyota House of Lean rests on two (2) pillars: Jidoka and Just-in-Time (JIT). Later, Toyota would add another pillar, People and Teamwork, to strengthen the house. These pillars support the roof and drive organizations to achieve their goals. JidokaThis pillar comes from the Japanese term meaning “autonomation.” In other words, Jidoka is all about automation with a human touch. Jidoka puts machines to a safe stop whenever problems arise. It captures these faults at the onset before they affect the rest of the production line. This way, companies can prevent injuries, minimize damage, and promote long-term solutions. Moreover, it encourages them to build and improve systems until they are safe and sturdy. Just-in-Time (JIT)Just-in-Time (JIT) follows the principle of making the right products at the right time and in the right quantity. By delivering customer demand without excess, it removes the seven wastes (Muda): overproduction, inventory, motion, defects, overprocessing, waiting, and transport. To achieve this, the just-in-time model provides the following tools:
People and TeamworkThis pillar adds another dimension to improve the two-pillar system. Just as the name suggests, it revolves around the people and how they work with each other. To create an environment suitable for Lean manufacturing, companies need to pay attention to:
Moreover, this pillar also emphasizes teamwork in resolving problems. It provides the following tools to enable this process:
With the addition of this pillar, the Toyota House of Lean will look like the diagram below. Three-Pillar Toyota House of Lean FoundationsIt is a common saying that a house with good foundations lasts longer. This statement rings true with the Toyota House of Lean. These components—heijunka, standardized work, and kaizen—provide a stable foundation to help sustain the Lean process. HeijunkaThe term heijunka in Japanese means “leveling.” True to its name, it levels the type and quantity of production based on what the customer needs. Using this method, companies can save costs and avoid overproduction while meeting customer demands. Standardized WorkAnother component in the Toyota House of Lean foundations is standardized work. It optimizes the production process by having the most effective and efficient people, materials, and equipment at present to do the job. In doing so, companies can maintain the same high quality for all their products. The word “standardized” may sound like something static or unchanging to some, but that isn’t the case. Instead, standardized work is all about the best means possible at the moment. It encourages companies to improve their standard operations continuously. KaizenAs mentioned earlier, practices and methods in a Toyota House of Lean are rarely static. Instead, they move dynamically as they consistently find ways to improve. Kaizen embodies this foundation. It aims to improve value streams and individual processes to enhance the quality of products with less waste. It does so on two levels:
SAFe House of LeanIn the previous section, the Toyota House of Lean provides a comprehensive view of how organizations can optimize their production systems without wasting time and resources. The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) House of Lean takes this endeavor one step further. It aims to transform practices and processes at the organizational level with the help of the Agile Manifesto. Together, they form what is known as the SAFe Lean-Agile Mindset. This section will look closely into each component of this house, as shown in the diagram below. SAFe House of Lean FoundationIn the SAFe House of Lean, great teams often begin with their leaders. This component enables teams to succeed in their desired goals.
PillarsThe SAFe House of Lean consists of four pillars reinforcing the Lean methodology. It optimizes standard processes using Lean strategies and tools specific to the production area. In implementing these pillars, leaders can use the 5s Lean principles, Kanban, Jidoka, JIT production, 5 Whys, and other Lean tools. Pillar 1: Respect for People and CultureThe first pillar, respect for people and culture, is a must for any organization. Treating employees with respect empowers them to contribute and improve practices. When employees are valued and listened to, they also do their part in finding better ways of operating. In other words, this pillar drives people to foster a safe, positive, and performance-led environment. Thus, change must come from within—from company practices to the leaders’ approach. Pillar 2: FlowThe second pillar pushes for a seamless flow of value delivery in organizations. It involves constantly receiving feedback (from customers, managers, and other teammates) and adjusting components. In doing so, companies can deliver value at an agile pace. This continuous flow follows these principles:
Keeping this flow requires continuously seeking ingenious ways to remove wasteful practices. From a management perspective, it starts by changing its approach from short-term projects to long-term products. Pillar 3: InnovationTo maintain a smooth flow of operations, companies need to find new ways to enhance their value delivery. Otherwise, their products would remain stagnant. Innovation, the third pillar, furthers this cause. Part of the Lean process involves continuous improvement. One of the best ways to do that is through constant innovation. What Best Supports Innovation in the SAFe House of Lean?Nurture innovative ideas in the workplace by:
Pillar 4: Relentless ImprovementThe final pillar, relentless improvement, requires shifting from a fixed mindset to a growth one. It encourages learning and development among the ranks in the company. Having a growth mindset involves reflecting on previous works and enhancing current processes. To cultivate this pillar, companies must:
RoofAll efforts in optimizing processes can only become fruitful if the resulting product or service satisfies customers. Thus, the roof symbolizes customer focus at the top of the SAFe House of Lean. This means that companies must consider customer needs and wants when employing Lean strategies. After all, the goal is to bring customers the best value for their money in the shortest sustainable lead-time while eliminating waste. Advantages of Using this FrameworkThe SAFe House of Lean offers companies many strategic advantages to propel their business to new heights. It enables organizations to:
Eliminate manual tasks and streamline your operations. The House of Lean helps in improving your organization’s quality management systems and practices. It guides you in delivering high-quality products and services without wasting precious resources. But with a multitude of tools at your disposal, it’s easy to get lost in the Lean process. Luckily, digital platforms such as iAuditor by SafetyCulture can help you. It streamlines your efforts in integrating the Lean principles using the following functions:
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What are the key aspects of flow in the SAFe house of Lean?
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