Does anybody remember the 1980s?
Aside from the Thompson Twins, Marty McFly, and Gordon Gekko, it was an era when entire domestic industries were going down the tubes. Steel, textiles, and autos were shutting down plants faster than a 286 processor. The pain was immeasurable -- millions of workers were displaced, with difficult times ahead to find new livelihoods.
Out of this distressed situation came a new philosophy called "lean." From the 1980s on, "lean" manufacturing helped tighten up the way many businesses operated, helping them to survive -- and eventually even thrive -- amidst the onslaught from more efficient and quality-driven overseas competition. Lean, as successfully applied to manufacturing, means doing things "simpler, faster, better, and cheaper."
Can IT be systematically implemented and managed "simpler, faster, better, and cheaper"?
Yes, say the authors of a new lean IT primer.
But it's going to take some education and work. Our system for managing enterprise IT is bloated and broken. Millions of dollars are wasted every year on technologies and projects that either end up not being used, or render business processes more complicated than they were before.
Steve Bell and Michael Orzen, in their latest book, Lean IT: Enabling and Sustaining Your Lean Transformation, say the benefits will extend far beyond lower costs for software development. It's about getting closer to the customer. As they point out: "Lean IT is much more than just a series of tools and practices; it is a deep behavioral and cultural transformation that encourages everyone in the organization to think differently about the role of quality information in the creation and delivery of value to the
customer."
And, importantly, it's about having IT managers and professionals alike take a step back and reevaluate their mission and roles. "Lean thinking helps everyone in the IT organization demonstrate leadership and develop a laserlike focus -- inwardly on personal, as well as operational excellence, and outwardly to the continuous improvement of business processes -- eliminating waste and delivering value to every customer."
Aside from the Thompson Twins, Marty McFly, and Gordon Gekko, it was an era when entire domestic industries were going down the tubes. Steel, textiles, and autos were shutting down plants faster than a 286 processor. The pain was immeasurable -- millions of workers were displaced, with difficult times ahead to find new livelihoods.
Out of this distressed situation came a new philosophy called "lean." From the 1980s on, "lean" manufacturing helped tighten up the way many businesses operated, helping them to survive -- and eventually even thrive -- amidst the onslaught from more efficient and quality-driven overseas competition. Lean, as successfully applied to manufacturing, means doing things "simpler, faster, better, and cheaper."
Can IT be systematically implemented and managed "simpler, faster, better, and cheaper"?
Yes, say the authors of a new lean IT primer.
But it's going to take some education and work. Our system for managing enterprise IT is bloated and broken. Millions of dollars are wasted every year on technologies and projects that either end up not being used, or render business processes more complicated than they were before.
Steve Bell and Michael Orzen, in their latest book, Lean IT: Enabling and Sustaining Your Lean Transformation, say the benefits will extend far beyond lower costs for software development. It's about getting closer to the customer. As they point out: "Lean IT is much more than just a series of tools and practices; it is a deep behavioral and cultural transformation that encourages everyone in the organization to think differently about the role of quality information in the creation and delivery of value to the
customer."
And, importantly, it's about having IT managers and professionals alike take a step back and reevaluate their mission and roles. "Lean thinking helps everyone in the IT organization demonstrate leadership and develop a laserlike focus -- inwardly on personal, as well as operational excellence, and outwardly to the continuous improvement of business processes -- eliminating waste and delivering value to every customer."
Here is their advice for moving to lean IT:
<1) Start with the IT organization's own operations
2) Establish a sense of urgency
3) Build a lean leadership team
4) Create a basic toolkit of lean and quality methodologies>
5) Launch pilot projects for quick wins
6) Go enterprise-wide.
7) Measure results and assess understanding and buy-in
8) Consolidate gains and build momentum
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