ABSTRACT
This chapter includes a discussion of lean, iterative, and agile life cycles that can reduce life cycle design and development timelines. It discusses the traditional waterfall life cycle, also known as linear or predictive life cycle. The chapter discusses the agile or iterative life cycle, some lean concepts that can improve the efficiency of the life cycle, and finally ideas from the research literature for incorporating lean principles and tools to streamline the systems engineering life cycle. The agile method began in software development but has migrated to use in other industries, including financial services, consulting, traditional metal manufacturing, and defense industries as well as into systems engineering design and development. Scrum is defined by its creators as a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value. During the sprint planning, the team pulls a small group of the items from the highest-priority items on the product backlog.
