Making IT Lean: Applying Lean Practices to the Work of IT

222 Pages·2012·1.9 MB·English

by  Howard Williams

IT Management / Lean Methods & Implementation W
illia Howard Williams • Rebecca Duray
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s

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r
Making IT Lean a
y
Applying Lean Practices to the Work of IT
Making IT Lean: Applying Lean Practices to the Work of IT presents Lean
concepts and techniques for improving processes and eliminating waste in IT
operations and IT Service Management in a manner that is easy to understand. The
authors provide a context for discussing several areas of application within this
M
domain, allowing you to quickly gain insight into IT processes and Lean principles.
a
k
The text reviews IT Service Management, with reference to the IT Infrastructure
i
Library (ITIL®) as a framework for best practices—explaining how to use it to n
g
accommodate Lean processes and operations. Filled with straight-forward
I
examples, it provides enough modeling tools so you can start your Lean journey T

right away. Examining the work of IT from an IT practitioner perspective, the book L
e
includes coverage of: a
n
• The OM Perspective—considers the work of IT from an Operations Management A Applying Lean Practices
(OM) perspective, showing how many of the concepts that have been successfully p
p
applied within manufacturing can be applied to IT l
y
• The Lean Improvement Model—explains Lean concepts and practices and details in to the Work of IT
g
the authors’ Lean improvement model

L
• Lean Problem-Solving (Identifying and Understanding Problems)—considers e
a
operational work in IT and explains how to apply Lean practices related to n
problem identification and root cause analysis P
r
• Lean Problem-Solving (Identifying and Managing Solutions)—describes how to a
c
use good problem identification as the basis for identifying the right solutions t
i
• Lean IT Service Management—examines IT work from an IT Service c
e
Management perspective, using the ITIL® framework as a guide s

• Implementing and Sustaining Lean IT Improvements—explains how to to

implement and sustain Lean IT improvements t
h
e
Throughout the book, the authors use a simple model for Lean Improvement as the W
framework for communicating practical guidance on identifying and understanding o
r
problems, as well as identifying, implementing, managing, and improving solutions. k

Emphasizing alignment with core Lean concepts, such as A3 Thinking and Plan–Do– o
f

Check–Act, it introduces concepts in a manner that allows you to take away small I
T
bits at a time and immediately apply them in your IT operations. Exploring the notion
that any IT organization can benefit from the application of Lean, the text supplies
you with virtually limitless opportunities for improvement in your IT organization.
K13533
A PRODUCTIV ITY PRESS BOOK
www.productivitypress.com
Applying Lean Practices
to the Work of IT

Howard Williams • Rebecca Duray
Applying Lean Practices
to the Work of IT

Boca Raton London New York
CRC Press is an imprint of the
Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
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Contents
Preface .............................................................................................. ix
1 Introduction .................................................................................1
Lean .............................................................................................................2
Lean Improvement Model ...........................................................................4
Narrative of the Book .................................................................................6
A Word about our References .............................................................9
References ...................................................................................................9
2 The Work of IT ..........................................................................11
The IT View of IT .....................................................................................11
IT Work as Process-Based Work ..............................................................13
People–Process–Technology .....................................................................14
IT as Service-Based Work .........................................................................17
Business–IT Alignment .............................................................................18
IT Operations ............................................................................................21
Lean IT ......................................................................................................22
Making IT Lean .........................................................................................24
Summary ...................................................................................................26
References .................................................................................................26
3 The OM Perspective ...................................................................27
Process Types ............................................................................................28
Process Types in IT Work .........................................................................31
Customer Contact Workflow Model .........................................................35
Workflow Concepts ...................................................................................38
Volume, Variety, and Variation ..........................................................38
Concepts of Flow ..............................................................................41
Waiting in Line ..................................................................................42
Capacity .............................................................................................44
v
vi  ◾  Contents
Looking at the IT Factory .................................................................45
Process Analysis ........................................................................................45
Process Improvement ................................................................................51
Quality Improvement ................................................................................53
Summary ...................................................................................................55
References .................................................................................................55
4 The Lean Improvement Model ...................................................57
Lean Thinking ...........................................................................................59
Customer Value .................................................................................59
Value Stream Flow .............................................................................60
Elimination of Waste .........................................................................61
Continuous Improvement..................................................................63
Lean Learning ...........................................................................................63
A3 Thinking ......................................................................................64
Plan–Do–Check–Act ..........................................................................66
Lean Problem-Solving ...............................................................................71
Lean Tools .................................................................................................71
Lean Enablers ............................................................................................73
Summary ...................................................................................................74
Appendix: Examples of Waste in IT Work ..............................................74
References .................................................................................................77
5 Lean Problem-Solving: Identifying and Understanding
Problems ....................................................................................79
Identifying Waste ......................................................................................79
Stumbling on Waste from Pain Points ......................................................81
Tool: Process Mapping ......................................................................83
Tool: Swim-Lane Diagram .................................................................85
Tool: RACI Chart ...............................................................................86
More on Process Mapping ................................................................87
Root Cause Analysis (RCA) ...............................................................90
Tool: Cause and Effect Diagram .......................................................91
Identifying Waste in Clearly Identified Workflows ..................................95
Tool: Value Stream Map ....................................................................97
Tool: 5 Whys ....................................................................................104
Tool: Pareto Chart............................................................................106
Clarifying Difficult-to-Identify Workflows ..............................................107
Tool: Go-and-See (Gemba) .............................................................109
Surfacing Waste and Exposing Problems ...............................................113
Contents  ◾  vii
Tool: Removal of Work-in-Progress (WIP) ......................................114
Tool: 5S ............................................................................................117
Sort ...........................................................................................118
Straighten .................................................................................118
Shine ........................................................................................118
Standardize ..............................................................................118
Sustain ......................................................................................119
Tool: Visual Management ................................................................120
Tool: A3 Reports ..............................................................................121
Summary .................................................................................................121
References ...............................................................................................122
6 Lean Problem-Solving: Identifying and Managing Solutions ..123
Starting with Root Causes .......................................................................123
Identifying Solutions ...............................................................................124
Tool: Brainstorming .........................................................................125
Planning, Implementing, and Improving Solutions ...............................128
Tool: PDCA ..............................................................................................129
Tool: Checklists ...............................................................................130
Tool: Mistake Proofing ....................................................................131
Creating Flow ..........................................................................................132
Tool: Pull (versus Push)...................................................................135
Tool: One-Piece Flow (versus Batch) ..............................................138
Tool: Rapid Changeover ..................................................................138
Tool: Work Cell Optimization .........................................................139
Automation of IT Operations .................................................................140
Improving Nonlinear Processes ..............................................................141
Continuous Improvement .......................................................................141
Kaizen ..............................................................................................142
Tool: Rapid Improvement Events ....................................................143
Summary .................................................................................................144
References ...............................................................................................144
7 Lean IT Service Management ...................................................147
IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) ...............................................................147
Incident Management .............................................................................150
Problem Management .............................................................................154
Service Request Fulfillment ....................................................................155
Service Desk ............................................................................................157
External View of the Service Desk .................................................158
viii  ◾  Contents
Internal View of the Service Desk ..................................................160
Lean Service Desk ...........................................................................164
Applying Lean to Other ITSM Processes................................................166
Availability Management .................................................................166
Event Management ..........................................................................166
Change Management .......................................................................167
Implementing Lean ITSM ........................................................................168
Summary .................................................................................................171
References ...............................................................................................171
8 Implementing and Sustaining Lean IT Improvements ............173
Continuous Improvement .......................................................................174
Rapid Improvement Events .............................................................175
Lean Enablers ..........................................................................................178
Dealing with Obstacles ...................................................................182
Tool: 5 Questions ............................................................................186
Lean Culture ............................................................................................187
Metrics and Measurement .......................................................................188
Lean IT at Work ......................................................................................191
Lean IT in a Healthcare Company ..................................................191
Lean IT at a Health Insurance Company .......................................196
Lean IT in a Hospital ......................................................................200
Summary .................................................................................................205
References ...............................................................................................206
9 Looking at Lean IT ..................................................................207
Future Drivers of IT Work ......................................................................207
The Role of Lean .....................................................................................208
References ...............................................................................................210
Preface
This book has its origins in an independent study course taken by one
of the authors (Howard), at that time a student in the MBA program at
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS), under the direction of
the second author (Rebecca), who is a professor of Operations Management
at UCCS. The focus of the independent study, Applications of Lean to IT
(Information Technology), was an outgrowth of a more general class on
Lean taken by Howard and taught by Rebecca in the previous semester.
We thought the topic would be well-covered in the literature, so our inten-
tion was to read what was written, summarize the content, and use the findings
for our respective purposes. For Howard, this meant applying Lean practices
within IT, where he worked, and, for Rebecca, this would mean adding to her
body of knowledge on applications of Lean in various disciplines.
Our surprise was that not much had been written at that time on the sub-
ject. This led to a more detailed line of inquiry that extended well beyond
the timeframe of the course, and, in fact, beyond Howard’s completion of
his MBA. What began as a student–professor affiliation evolved into a true
research collaboration that eventually led to publication of this book.
By the time we had outlined the general scope of the book, we were
delighted to find that there had been other books published on the subject,
and this naturally led to consideration of the best niche on which to concen-
trate. What we finally decided was that there might be value in offering a
book for IT practitioners who had limited exposure to Lean, and also make
it appropriate for Lean practitioners who had not yet had the opportunity to
look at IT as a domain of application. There is a bit more focus on the first
audience, if only because the presentation of Lean practices is simplified for
the demands and challenges that often characterize IT work. So, for exam-
ple, we have deliberately simplified many of the Lean tools so that they can
be utilized fairly quickly by IT practitioners. We are hopeful that Lean prac-
titioners who have a more sophisticated understanding of tools and practices
ix