The potential shown by Lean in different domains has aroused interest in the software industry. However, it remains unclear how Lean can be effectively applied in a domain such as software development that is fundamentally different from manufacturing. This paper explores how Lean principles are implemented in software development companies and the challenges that arise when applying Lean Software Development. For that, a case study was conducted at Ericsson R&D Finland, which successfully adopted Scrum in 2009 and subsequently started a comprehensible transition to Lean in 2010. Focus groups were conducted with company representatives to help devise a questionnaire supporting the creation of a Lean mindset in the company {Team Amplifier). Afterwards, the questionnaire was used in 16 teams based in Finland, Hungary and China to evaluate the status of their transformation. By using Lean thinking, Ericsson R&D Finland has made important improvements to the quality of its products, customer satisfaction and transparency within the organization. The study makes two main contributions to research. First, the main factors that have enabled Ericsson R&D's achievements are analysed. Elements such as 'network of product owners', 'continuous integration', 'work in progress limits' and 'communities of practice' have been identified as being of fundamental importance. Second, three categories of challenges in using Lean Software Development were identified: 'achieving flow', 'transparency' and 'creating a learning culture'.

Lean principles have attracted the attention of software development companies due to their potential to improve competitiveness. However, the application of such principles in the software domain is still in its infancy. This paper presents a proposal for adapting the Lean Enterprise Self-Assessment Tool (LESAT) to guide the transformation of software development companies toward Lean. LESAT, developed by the Lean Advancement Initiative (LAI) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has been widely used in other domains. In this study, concepts and expressions of LESAT were analyzed and mapped to software development following the ISO/IEC 12207 standard. Seven assessment items concerning life-cycle processes were modified from the original LESAT. The modified LESAT for software was compared with a lean assessment approach called "Lean amplifier," which has been developed and successfully used in practice by Ericsson R&D in Finland. The results indicated that LESAT may complement lean assessment in the software domain at enterprise level, involving the entire value stream. Moreover, they clearly emphasized the role of leadership in the transformation.

Abstract. As the adoption of agile and lean methods continues to grow, measuring the effects of such a transformation can be valuable but challenging due to the many variables influencing the outcome of a software project. In this paper we present a metrics model developed for measuring the effects of an agile and lean transformation on software development organizations. The model was developed iteratively in cooperation with industry partners within the Cloud Software Finland research project. The resulting metrics model is applicable to projects of any size, complexity and scope, using metrics that support agile and lean values. The model can be used to measure both past and ongoing projects, regardless of whether the process model used is plan driven or agile. In order to evaluate the metrics model, the proposed model has been piloted in an industry setting.

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