Lean Software Engineering: Fix the system, not the code introduces an AI-aware systems thinking approach adapted for the modern software development lifecycle, targeting the bottlenecks where high-value improvements live.
Leigh Griffin
We’re in a moment where generating code is easier than ever. Between modern frameworks, cloud tooling, and coding agents, teams can ship features quickly. Yet many delivery pipelines still feel slow and fragile. Pull requests sit. CI pipelines drag. Releases require ceremony that nobody questions anymore.
This book takes Lean thinking and applies it to the whole system around the code. Leigh focuses on where work actually gets stuck: handoffs, reviews, environment setup, branching strategies, debugging loops, and approval chains. Instead of treating quality as something you bolt onto code through more checks, she looks at how workflow design shapes quality, cost, and long-term maintainability.
You’ll see concrete scenarios throughout the book:
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A pull request process that quietly creates delay and context switching
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Debugging sessions that expose gaps in feedback loops
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CI/CD setups that add complexity without reducing risk
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The impact of coding agents on flow, ownership, and review practices
Lean principles first moved from manufacturing into software in the late 1990s. Since then, many teams have focused on automated tests and iteration cadence. This book broadens that lens. It asks how value moves from idea to production in an AI-aware environment, and what waste looks like when part of your team might be an agent generating code.
If you’re responsible for delivery outcomes, technical direction, or the health of your team’s workflow, this is a thoughtful read. It doesn’t promise a silver bullet. It gives you a way to examine your system and decide where change will actually matter.
- Full details: Lean Software Engineering - Leigh Girffin
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