Recently read Lean Software Development by Mary and Tom Poppendick. For software it is of limited use, most of the examples are from heavy industry such as the car industry in arguing that up front design doesn't work. This is a well known issue in software already. Probably the best maxim is the delay decision making.

But then it is competing with the short, sharp absolutes of Extreme Programming which are not as long winded and directly related to software engineering. As an agile book it is probably best for a manager who has come heavy industry and is now working in software and is trying to understand why all their projects are coming in late, poorly done, and incomplete.

For software engineers who read these types of books for fun; meh. We know it already and are aware that much of the problem stems from procedural issues that software engineering has no control over.

Weak book, would avoid it if you are a software engineer. -1.