A big part of the waste we have in our development processes is there simply because we are not aware of it and the thinking that creates it. We lack transparency and a thinking of the whole flow from requirements to production.
Traditional development processes, steering-models and organization is by definition working against short lead-times. Much of the delay is created in the handovers between requirements, development, test and production.
In traditional development we often make an assumption that it is impossible or to costly too test the software early and often. Many companies has proven that the opposite is true; “if it hurts, do it more often” is the key to success.
Doing an analysis of the costs associated with the current situation, a ROI of implementing more automation or Continuous Delivery and then creating a business case is usually a good first step.
Negative spirals are often created by some common anti-patterns. These anti-patterns are very effectively solved by DevOps and Continuous Delivery.
