Lean IT is an extension of Lean manufacturing and Lean services principles to the development and management of information technology (IT) products and services.
Lean concept and principles are not new because they were developed by Toyota some decades ago, but the use of Lean on IT is new.
Lean IT central concern, applied in the context of IT, is the elimination of waste (or fat), where waste is work that adds no value to a product or service developed/delivered by the company.
The approach is a way of thinking and acting, focussing heavily on organizational culture.
Lean IT is associated with the development and management of Information Technology products and services.
As lean manufacturing has become more widely implemented, the extension of lean principles is beginning to spread to IT (and other service industries). Industry analysts have identified many similarities or analogues between IT and manufacturing.
Consultants and evangelists for Lean IT identify an abundance of waste across the business service “production line”, including legacy infrastructure and fractured processes.
Lean Principles are concerned with:
- Increasing customer value
- Eliminating waste (work that does not add value)
- Management as a facilitator
- The involvement of all employees
- Continual improvement
- Preserving value with less work.
Growing with Lean IT:
- Lean management applied to IT maintenance and operations
- Lean IT to develop outstanding products
- Lean as a competitive advantage for IS service providers
- Information systems supporting the lean company.