"The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do." – Thomas Jefferson
A few years ago, when I was still figuring out lean-agile, I searched online for a book that wouldn’t be too much to grasp as took the first steps into this way of working and mindset shift. I found The Art of Lean Software Development by Curt Hibbs et al., and what stood out right away was how short and practical it was. No fluff—just clear, actionable ideas like limiting work in progress, automating tests, and delivering small, frequent releases to reduce risk.
As I got deeper into the practice, I didn’t constantly refer back to the book, but certain ideas stuck. The Gherkin method (Given, When, Then) helped me coach teams on writing better behavioral tests. Value stream mapping (VSM) became essential when participating in Kaizen workshops. Some terms—like Zero Practice and CRACK—have faded over time, replaced by newer DevOps and CI/CD concepts. But the core principles? Still checks out.