Digital transformation is a business concern; it is no longer just IT that must get things done.
The disruptive force of start-ups focusing on IT-based services that can be consumed through mobile devices cannot be underestimated -- These start-ups eat away at the high-margin services provided by incumbents, leaving lower margin products and services that are rapidly being commoditized. This is happening in all industry sectors and it is the ones who are best able to adjust, innovate, and improve their service offerings that will survive. The question is: What do you need to do to ensure that your organization is one of the survivors?
The core of the solution to the problem is to radically improve the way the IT organization works together with the business. To be clear, the digital transformation of your business depends on that relatively small group of people in the basement, or other out-of-the-way location, who make sure
that your IT services work. So, building a cooperative model is vital for the success of the business. Which model has proven its worth in many industries? It is the application of Lean principles that gives organizations an advantage in delivering their products and services to their customers.
Transforming your organization to high performance is, above all, a people-based movement with the acquisition and, most importantly, application of knowledge and skills necessary for the high performance way of working at its core. In teams, from boardroom to work floor, building a new way of thinking and acting is essential.
This book aims to give insight into the reasons why you and your organization must consciously act to apply Lean principles to your IT organization. It explains the phases organizations go through as they start out with their initial attempts to gain advantages from Lean tools to the phase in which they reap the strategic benefits of Lean applied to IT. The real work of the transformation is described from two different perspectives: Leadership and Team.
This book describes a complete set of principles, practices and tools In order to make the right decisions along the winding route of your transformation. The people who will guide, support and drive your transformation are the leaders and tem members who understand and apply those principles, practice and tools: your Lean IT Experts.
About the Author: Niels Loader is Partner and Principal Consultant at Quint Wellington Redwood (www.quintgroup.com). Fifteen years ago, he defined a personal mission statement 'to ensure that the maximum amount of users have access to excellent IT services.' This credo has been part of every project he has carried out. In the process of his work he has learned lessons and gained insights that have been useful to his clients.
He has spent the best part of the last decade applying Lean principles to IT. He was instrumental in developing the first global certified Lean IT Foundation certification. He also helped to shape the Lean IT Association from a content perspective.
Loader has worked within IT organizations for the past 20 years. He has had a large variety of roles including IT Trainer, Implementation Coordinator, IT Project Manager, IT Process Manager, IT Team Coordinator, Interim manager, Advisor to IT management teams, IT Manager and Business Systems Manager. He has executed these roles in a similar variety of industries from government to industry, from local to global organizations and from small to large IT organizations.
