Lean Agile Principles

LangChain recently published a helpful step-by-step guide on building AI agents. 🔗 How to Build an Agent –https://lnkd.in/dKKjw6Ju It covers key phases: 1. Defining realistic tasks 2. Documenting a standard operating procedure 3. Building an MVP with prompt engineering 4. Connect & Orchestrate 5. Test & Iterate 6. Deploy, Scale, and Refine While the structure is solid, one important dimension that’s often overlooked in agent design is: efficiency at scale. This is where Lean Agentic AI becomes critical—focusing on managing cost, carbon, and complexity from the very beginning. Let’s take a few examples from the blog and view them through a lean lens: 🔍 Task Definition ➡️ If the goal is to extract structured data from invoices, a lightweight OCR + regex or deterministic parser may outperform a full LLM agent in both speed and emissions. Lean principle: Use agents only when dynamic reasoning is truly required—avoid using LLMs for tasks better handled by existing rule-based or heuristic methods 📋 Operating Procedures ➡️ For a customer support agent, identify which inquiries require LLM reasoning (e.g., nuanced refund requests) and which can be resolved using static knowledge bases or templates. Lean principle: Separate deterministic steps from open-ended reasoning early to reduce unnecessary model calls. 🤖 Prompt MVP ➡️ For a lead qualification agent, use a smaller model to classify lead intent before escalating to a larger model for personalized messaging. Lean principle: Choose the best-fit model for each subtask. Optimize prompt structure and token length to reduce waste. 🔗 Tool & Data Integration ➡️ If your agent fetches the same documentation repeatedly, cache results or embed references instead of hitting APIs each time. Lean principle: Reduce external tool calls through caching, and design retry logic with strict limits and fallbacks to avoid silent loops. 🧪 Testing & Iteration ➡️ A multi-step agent performing web search, summarization, and response generation can silently grow in cost. Lean principle: Measure more than output accuracy—track retry count, token usage, latency, and API calls to uncover hidden inefficiencies. 🚀 Deployment ➡️ In a production agent, passing the entire conversation history or full documents into the model for every turn increases token usage and latency—often with diminishing returns. Lean principle: Use summarization, context distillation, or selective memory to trim inputs. Only pass what’s essential for the model to reason, respond, or act.. Lean Agentic AI is a design philosophy that brings sustainability, efficiency, and control to agent development—by treating cost, carbon, and complexity as first-class concerns. For more details, visit 👉 https://leanagenticai.com/ #AgenticAI #LeanAI #LangChain #SustainableAI #LLMOps #FinOpsAI #AIEngineering #ModelEfficiency #ToolCaching #CarbonAwareAI LangChain

Why do many plants still struggle… even after so many improvements? Because they improve tools, but forget Lean principles. And one principle decides everything: Flow. Flow means work moves smoothly from customer demand to shipment— with minimal waiting, handoffs, rework, and inventory. Lean principles: Value: what the customer truly pays for Value Stream: see end-to-end, not departments Flow: make value move without interruption Pull: produce based on real demand Perfection: keep removing waste and variation When flow is broken, the plant becomes a factory of waiting. Waiting creates WIP. WIP hides problems. Hidden problems become firefighting. Firefighting becomes culture. Why Flow matters Because Flow protects the outcomes everyone cares about: Delivery (lead time & on-time shipment) Quality (fast feedback, fewer repeat defects) Cost (less overtime, rework, expediting, premium freight) Cash (less inventory trapping money) People (less chaos, clearer priorities) How to make Flow better: The “Why–How–What” approach: 1) Start with WHY (True North) Decide what you optimize: safety, quality, delivery, cost, cash. If leaders don’t align True North, the line will fight itself. 2) Fix stability first (before speed) Standard work (same method, every time) Basic equipment reliability (downtime kills flow) Material readiness (shortages break flow) First-pass yield focus (defects stop flow) 3) Control WIP (don’t celebrate inventory) WIP is not a buffer. WIP is a bill you pay every day. Set WIP limits between processes Create clear FIFO lanes Stop overproduction (the easiest way to “look productive”) 4) Reduce batching and waiting Smaller batch sizes Increase changeover capability (SMED mindset) Balance work content to takt where possible 5) Build pull, not push Simple pull signals (Kanban / two-bin / supermarket) Replenish based on consumption, not forecasts + panic Protect the constraint and let it set the pace 6) Make problems show up fast Visual management: abnormal stands out Short daily problem-solving at the point of work “Stop and fix” culture—quality at the source 7) Lead the system, not the symptoms If you want flow, don’t ask people to run faster. Remove what blocks them: variation, downtime, waiting, rework, changeover loss, shortages. Flow isn’t a Lean slogan. Flow is the principle that turns improvement into business performance.

Agile: Less Is More But More Is Less In math and logic, the "symmetry property of equality" states that if A equals B then B must equal A. This is a fundamental rule of equivalence relations. So, if it's true that "less is more," then it must also be true that "more is less." This paradox of "less is more" and "more is less" offers profound insights in Agile software development. Agile principles emphasize simplicity and delivering value incrementally. In practice, these words mean that restraint and focus generally yield better results, while excess and complexity tend to make things worse. Less Is More Is Less By embracing "less is more," Agile encourages teams to streamline their efforts, prioritize value, and deliver only what's necessary. On the flip side, the idea of "more is less" serves as a caution against over-refinement, overcommitment, feature bloat, and unnecessary complexity. Together, these principles remind Agile practitioners of the balance needed to maximize efficiency and impact. Less Is More Agile prioritizes simplicity as a way to maximize value. Smaller Teams, Greater Focus: Agile values small, cross-functional teams. Limiting team size improves communication, accelerates decision-making, and strengthens accountability. Incremental Delivery: Delivering smaller, high-priority features allows frequent releases and quick adaptation to fast feedback. Lean Processes: Reducing waste (e.g., unnecessary meetings, unused features, redundant documentation) lets teams focus on what matters most. Simpler Solutions: Agile promotes the simplest solution that meets requirements. Over-engineering adds complexity, while minimal, functional designs solve problems effectively. The point is that that, somewhat counterintuitively, it is by doing less (when intentional and focused) that we can create more opportunities to deliver higher quality and more impactful outcomes. More Is Less The converse is also true, though. Doing too much leads to diminishing returns and waste. Feature Creep and Overload: Adding excessive features or expanding scope beyond what's needed can dilute the product’s value, overwhelm users, and delay delivery. Overcommitment: Overloading sprints with stories reduces focus and increases the likelihood of unfinished work and technical debt. Complexity Slows Progress: Over-complicated workflows, methods, and tools create inefficiencies and maintenance challenges. Team Burnout: Excessive workloads lead to lower productivity and morale, undermining sustainability. The point is, trying to do "more" can inadvertently result in delivering and achieving less - lower quality, user dissatisfaction, and team burnout. Balance (More or Less) The interplay between "less is more" and "more is less" is a reminder that Agile is about striking a balance. The power of the paradox is in discovering that success lies not in doing less or avoiding more, but in doing the right amount of the right things.

The century-old idea that’s still missing in Agile is the root cause of much of the mischief and difficulty we see today In 1924, Walter Shewhart discussed what he called “common cause” errors, that is, errors due to the system being used. "Special cause" errors were due to chance and individuals. Shewhart used these concepts to lower variation in manufacturing. W. Edwards Deming took these concepts a step further by discussing management’s role in creating a great working environment for people because if the system were flawed, we’d see the same errors repeatedly. This takes the focus off eliminating variation and puts it on being effective consistently. These lessons are mostly missing in Agile. A quick look around LinkedIn demonstrates “experts” talking about how to fix what are clearly common cause errors. But Shewhart’s and Deming’s lesson tells us we must fix the CAUSE of these errors. This is rarely discussed because doing so requires a rethinking of the basis for our work. Looking for common cause enables you to find challenges in your working environment which you wouldn't look for if yo were not aware of this. When you don't recognize the difference between common and system causes you do worse than look in the wrong place. You create a lack of safety because looking for the cause of the error tends to look for the person who made the error instead of what is about the working environment that caused it. Without this distinction, you will continually have the same problems.
It creates an unsafe and unstable working environment.

Agile is a methodology rooted in the principles of Lean thinking, originally developed for software development but now applied across industries. It emphasizes adaptability, customer collaboration and iterative progress. What is Agile? Agile is a mindset and methodology for managing projects and developing products. It focuses on: Core Principles (from the Agile Manifesto) Individuals and interactions over processes and tools. Working software (or product) over comprehensive documentation. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation. Responding to change over following a plan. Agile Frameworks Agile is not a single method, it's a family of methodologies, including: Scrum: Time-boxed sprints with defined roles (Scrum Master, Product Owner). Ideal for cross-functional teams. Kanban: Visual board to limit WIP (work in progress) and manage flow. Great for continuous delivery. SAFe: Scaled Agile Framework for enterprise-wide Agile across multiple teams. XP (Extreme Programming): Engineering-focused Agile method prioritizing quality and collaboration. Agile vs. Lean – How They Connect Agile originated from Lean principles and borrows heavily from it. Here's how they align: Eliminate Waste (Muda): Avoiding unnecessary features or work. Respect People: Empowering self-organizing Agile teams. Continuous Improvement (Kaizen): Retrospectives after sprints to refine team performance. Deliver Fast: Short iterations (sprints) and continuous delivery. Build Quality In: Test-driven development, continuous integration. Optimize the Whole: Agile at scale aligns multiple teams toward one goal. Agile Lifecycle (Iterative Loop): Backlog Creation: Define product requirements. Sprint Planning: Select backlog items for next iteration. Execution: Build the product increment in 1–4 week cycles. Daily Stand-ups: Quick team meetings to track progress. Sprint Review: Demo the product to stakeholders. Sprint Retrospective: Reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Where Agile Fits in Lean Agile is a Lean delivery method best suited for: Complex, changing environments (software, R&D, innovation). Environments where customer feedback is essential. Projects needing rapid learning cycles. Agile is a Lean toolset for knowledge work, just as SMED, 5S, or TPM are for manufacturing. Agile in Lean Office or Service Settings In non software environments (Lean Office, Service Ops): Kanban Boards visualize and manage workflow. Scrum Teams support marketing, HR, legal, finance projects. Agile Ceremonies (stand-ups, retrospectives) drive alignment. Lean Metrics (Lead Time, Throughput) are tracked in Agile tooling. Summary Philosophy: Mindset and methods Origin: Toyota Production System Focus: Waste reduction, flow, value Use Case: Manufacturing, admin, enterprise Agile's Role: Execution model for Lean thinking in fast-changing environments

Agile vs Lean vs Design Thinking. (Finally explained in plain language.) 3 methodologies. 3 different strengths. All essential for different moments. Here's what each actually does: 💡 Agile builds software that adapts as you learn. Sprint by sprint. Feature by feature. Feedback loop by feedback loop. 💡 Lean strips waste from any process. Less inventory. Less waiting. More value delivered faster. 💡 Design Thinking starts with human needs. Watch. Listen. Prototype. Test with real humans. Real-world applications that show the difference. Startup examples: Agile: Spotify's 2-week sprints ship 1000+ updates daily Lean: Toyota eliminated 7 types of waste, became #1 Design Thinking: IDEO redesigned shopping carts by watching shoppers struggle Enterprise transformations: Agile: ING dissolved departments for 2500+ squads Lean: GE Six Sigma saved $12 billion in 5 years Design Thinking: IBM trained 100,000+ employees, added $20M revenue The practical breakdown: When Agile shines: → Digital products need constant updates → Customer needs shift monthly → Teams need clear 2-week goals When Lean dominates: → Processes have too many steps → Costs spiral out of control → Speed to market matters most When Design Thinking wins: → Users struggle but can't say why → Innovation needs a human spark → Problems are complex and fuzzy Here's how they complement each other: Design Thinking discovers what to build. Lean ensures you build it efficiently. Agile helps you build it adaptively. Each methodology asks different questions: Agile: "What can we ship in 2 weeks?" Lean: "What step adds no value?" Design Thinking: "What does the user really need?" Together they create something powerful: Products people love. Built efficiently. Delivered continuously. Master one and you solve problems. Master all three and you transform organizations. Which methodology fits your current challenge? 👉 Repost to help more founders choose the  right framework at the right time. Follow Christian Rebernik for more on building high-performing teams and delivering smarter results.

It’s been 23 years since the Agile Manifesto was written and honestly, it’s been looking dated for a while now. For example, can anyone really still argue that working software is the primary measurement of progress anymore? So, for funsies, I asked ChatGPT to write a new manifesto, based on everything the industry has learned since the publication and honestly… it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty good for only 1 prompt. **Modern Agile Manifesto 2024:** **Values:** 1. **Outcomes Over Outputs** **(Focus on delivering value and impact rather than just shipping features)** 2. **Collaboration Over Silos** **(Empower cross-functional teams and diverse perspectives rather than isolated expertise)** 3. **Adaptability Over Rigidity** **(Embrace continuous learning and evolution rather than strict adherence to plans)** 4. **Sustainability Over Burnout** **(Prioritise well-being, work-life balance, and sustainable pace rather than pushing for short-term gains)** **Principles:** 1. **Deliver Value Continuously:** Deliver small, valuable increments frequently to keep feedback loops short and drive continuous improvement. 2. **Customer-Centric Design:** Engage customers and stakeholders throughout the process to ensure the product meets real needs. 3. **Build Resilient and Adaptable Systems:** Design software and processes that are resilient to change and adaptable to evolving requirements. 4. **Foster a Learning Culture:** Encourage continuous learning, experimentation, and improvement within teams and organisations. 5. **Empower Teams:** Give teams the autonomy to make decisions, encouraging ownership and accountability. 6. **Promote Diversity and Inclusion:** Recognise and leverage diverse perspectives to enhance creativity and problem-solving. 7. **Transparency and Trust:** Cultivate a culture of openness, where information is shared freely and trust is built through transparency. 8. **Simplify and Focus:** Strive for simplicity in design and execution, focusing on what truly matters and avoiding unnecessary complexity. 9. **Prioritise Sustainable Work Practices:** Balance delivering value with maintaining a sustainable pace to ensure long-term productivity and well-being. 10. **Measure What Matters:** Use meaningful metrics that reflect progress towards desired outcomes rather than vanity metrics. 11. **Adapt to Feedback:** Actively seek out and adapt to feedback from customers, stakeholders, and team members to continuously improve. 12. **Lead with Empathy:** Practice empathetic leadership, understanding and addressing the needs and challenges of the team and customers.

Many organizations adopting an Agile or Product Operating Model often face a similar challenge: how to scale their efforts without the process becoming a rigid, 'mechanical' imitation that loses the original spirit of agility. While the universal aspiration is to have fast-moving, outcome-aligned, always-learning teams, real-world compromises in large-scale implementations can lead to a fixation on framework mechanics rather than strategic intent. The Agile Product Operating Model (APOM) Guiding Principles document compiles key insights gathered over two years across various industries (automotive, biotech, banking, retail, software, etc.). It addresses these scaling challenges by shifting the focus from a prescriptive framework to core principles. I wrote a blog post that addresses questions about the guiding principles and their intent. Here are some highlights from the blog. * From Framework to Principles: The APOM principles are designed to be a tool for assessment, not a new, rigid process. They allow you to look at any existing framework, pattern, or approach you use (like Scrum or SAFe) and determine if your implementation is correctly aligning with the underlying intent of the principle. * Focus on Behaviors: Instead of describing explicit roles or job titles, which are often loosely interpreted or appended to existing positions, the principles focus on behaviors. This allows organizations to map the required actions and accountabilities to their own unique context and existing structure. * Bridging the Gap to Implementation: The principles describe an ideal state. To move toward this state, the document suggests using the Guiding Principles and the APOM overview whitepaper to develop an assessment survey. This provides a structured, empirical starting point for analyzing the current operating model and planning improvements. * AI and the Future of the Operating Model: I also examine AI's significant impact. While AI speeds up product capabilities and improves delivery, the core principles still apply. Organizations with a strong, agile, and evidence-based product operating model are best positioned to leverage AI to become faster, smaller, and flatter. Ultimately, the fundamentals of successful product delivery remain: align teams to clear outcomes, enable frequent learning and delivery, empower them to own their work, and remove impediments. But getting there can be a challenge :-) Here is the blog.  https://lnkd.in/eTn6Em2v

Week 9 musing:   Understand flow and do not overburden your teams As my friend Sally Elatta says, “if you want to improve the flow, stop the flooding”.   At some point, even the most dedicated team will burn out and lose productivity and passion for the work.  Having grown up in technology I’m on a mission to make technology fun again for as many people as possible. In Lean Agile, knowing how work flows is key to making things run smoother and preventing the team from getting swamped. When you have a good handle on the workflow, you can spot snags, cut out the fat, and get value to customers faster. One of the main ideas of Lean Agile is to make the workflow visible. This means mapping out all the steps from start to finish. By seeing how the work flows, teams can spot where things get stuck, what depends on what, and where things might get held up. A great way to visualize the flow is by using the flow framework created by my other good friend Mik Kersten.   He has created amazing software to track the flow of value through the SDLC so that teams can visually see the impediments to flow.  We spoke about this at length in a joint Podcast that you can listen to for more details. Another big part of understanding the workflow is finding and getting rid of waste. Waste can be stuff like having to do things over, waiting around, and passing things back and forth. Over the years I have seen a big source of waste in a long drawn out intake process up front of a technology build where the business spends months creating business requirements documents with little input from those who will use the software.   By spotting and getting rid of waste, teams can make the workflow smoother and more efficient. To keep the team from getting overloaded, it's important to make sure the workload is balanced and that the team has enough capacity to handle the work. You can do this by tracking how much the team gets done (like with velocity metrics) and adjusting the workload as needed. It's also important to think about the team's capacity when planning new work and to avoid giving them too much to do. By understanding the workflow and taking steps to cut out waste and keep the team from getting overloaded, companies can make their Lean Agile process more efficient and sustainable, leading to better results and happier teams. 

💡 𝐀𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐯𝐬. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐧: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞? 💡 As an Agile Coach, I’ve often been asked, “Are Agile and Lean the same?” 🤔 Let’s clear up the confusion with practical insights from real-world experience: 🔹 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧 & 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 Lean emerged from manufacturing (Toyota Production System) with a focus on eliminating waste and optimizing value delivery. Agile, on the other hand, originated in software development, aiming to embrace change and deliver value iteratively. 🔹 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 Lean is all about maximizing efficiency—do more with less. It's laser-focused on creating smooth workflows. Agile prioritizes flexibility and responsiveness to change. It’s about delivering value frequently and adapting based on feedback. 🔹 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 Lean: Reduce waste, improve flow, and deliver value continuously. Examples include Value Stream Mapping and Kaizen. Agile: Collaboration, working software, customer feedback, and embracing change. Frameworks like Scrum and SAFe embody these principles. 🔹 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬 Lean measures success by flow efficiency (Cycle Time, Throughput). Agile focuses on delivery cadence (Velocity, Sprint Goals). 🔹 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 I once worked with a team struggling to meet deadlines. By combining Lean’s focus on reducing bottlenecks and Agile’s iterative delivery, we achieved 40% faster delivery cycles and higher customer satisfaction! 🚀 🔹 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 Lean fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Agile encourages collaboration and adaptability. 💭 My Takeaway: While they’re different, Agile and Lean complement each other beautifully. Embrace Lean to optimize the system and Agile to thrive in uncertainty! 🌟 👉 What has your experience been? Are you team Agile, team Lean, or both? Let’s discuss in the comments! #AgileCoach #LeanAgile #ContinuousImprovement #AgileMindset #scrum #scrummaster #skillyantra