Recently I came across an article in Medium - Why Japanese Developers Write Code Completely Differently (And Why It Works Better).  There are plenty of points to discuss in this article particularly the distinction between the idea of monozukuri - the more elegant and stable craft of building things and manufacturing - and the ‘build fast and break things’ approach.

But reading it got me thinking about ideas and strategies from Agile and Lean Development that I used with product development teams, and how they can translate to small business and masterminds.

Two of the values held in Agile focus on delivering business value and the recognition of  the power of change.  Building with adaptability in mind is key to good Agile development.   Also focusing on delivering value, rather than chasing perfect code, helps team deliver useful products faster (while still recognising that good design supports this goal, with delivery and adaptability as part of that design)

Lean Development inspired by ideas from Lean Manufacturing emphasised reducing waste to support building products more efficiently.  The ideas of muri, muda and mura are central to some of the sources of waste:

• Muri - activities that are excessive and overcomplex
• Muda - activities that add no real value
• Mura - inconsitent activity that creates uneven results

We also embraced the ideas of Kaizen, continuous improvement, through regular reflection and adaptation and attempted to support Kaikaku with some radical experiments.

As I now work with small mastermind groups, these ideas have followed me.

A mastermind encourages the extension of experimentation to the other members of the group, bringing insights from each others experiences to avoid not only repeating your own mistakes but those of others in the group.  With this we naturally reduce the waste from muri, muda and mura..

The accountability of a mastermind, also supports the small, consistent improvements that Kaizen encourages.

And when you have some radically different viewpoints and experiences you can be supported to engage in Kaikaku, radical experiments with the confidence of the support of the group behind you.

Agile’s focus on delivering value and adaptability and resilience in the presence of change, is also something that we bring to the masterminds.  Focusing on ensuring that your products and services deliver real value over and above elegance of the solution, is key, and building in feedback loops to ensure that you can adapt and evolve as you grow and meet the ever changing requirements of your customers.

Being part of a mastermind group that holds these Lean and Agile principles in the forefront can transform the way that you build, lead and grow.

If you’re ready to reduce waste, embrace change and unlock continuous improvement in your business, contact us to discover how being part of an AGame Mastermind can help you get there.