Lean IT: which way to lean?

I'll be talking a lot more about Lean IT in future, but meanwhile, how are you supposed to start? And what is Lean IT anyway? Many of you will be aware of the concept of Lean: eliminating waste from processes. It started in the automotive manufacturing industry, but has since been applied to other industries and now to services as well as manufacturing.

That's all fine and the idea of eliminating waste from IT Service Delivery (Lean IT) seems like a good idea. But how should you tackle this? Do you need specialists? Should you do it all at once or a bit at a time? In short: which way should you lean?

In these difficult times, my view is that a long-winded drains-up approach is not what is needed. Instead, it is better to focus on the main areas of waste - and pain - in order to see some improvements fast. When I am asked to help a CIO, I carry out a rapid healthcheck to identify the areas that would benefit from immediate attention. Within a few days, we know where to focus attention.

Then there's the question of what meaningful improvements Lean IT delivers. That's something I will expand upon in the days to come.