Lean IT partnering

Lean, as a philosophy, has been around for quite some time, predominantly in the manufacturing domain. Since the 1990s Lean management provides organizations with a way to achieve superior performance by focusing on customer value, innovation and productivity. In 2011 Steven Bell and Michael Orzen comprehensively addressed Lean IT in their groundbreaking publication, and showed that Lean provides an effective and efficient way to do more with less, while achieving higher levels of productivity, quality, customer satisfaction and as a result, competitive advantage.

Over the past years many large users of IT have outsourced or co-sourced their IT supply and management services to professional IT service providers. Strategic sourcing models for IT and crafting strategic IT partnerships for the supply, management and use of IT have evolved over time and reached a satisfactory maturity level. At the same time, many IT sourcing relationships have become strategic in terms of intent and importance. To make the next leap, IT sourcing clients and their suppliers are now exploring whether a Lean transformation in their relationship could lead to similar promising results as achieved in the manufacturing domain. Managers who intend to embark on a Lean IT partnering journey, however, unfortunately lack any reference material available to guide them in implementing Lean on an IT partnership level.

Courageous people who intend to lead the juggernaut task of Lean transformation in IT partnerships should read this book to gain a thorough understanding of the success factors of applying Lean in IT partnerships.

It contains the results of the Nyenrode Lean Institute research project ‘Lean IT partnering’, conducted by the research cluster ‘Lean Transformation with and in IT’, and presents experienced barriers and drivers for victory. Additionally, it provides the lessons learned from actual case studies and postulates suitable guidelines for successful Lean IT partnerships: Craft an adequate partnering strategy, demonstrate Lean Leadership, and apply the appropriate Lean tools and techniques that fit naturally with the objectives sought for the IT partnership at hand.