For Vendor Strategy Professionals

What Vendor Strategists Need To Know About Lean — The Hot Topic For CIOs Right Now

by Thomas Mendel, Ph.D., Alexander Peters, Ph.D., October 29, 2009

As smart executives delve into the core of Lean Thinking, the role of technology in Lean-based performance improvements becomes abundantly clear. Senior executives expect their chief information officers (CIOs) to drive improvements in the effectiveness . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Lean: The New Business Technology Imperative

Lean Thinking Is Central To The Shift From IT To BT

by Connie Moore, Clay Richardson, John R. Rymer, Ted Schadler, Dave West, September 29, 2009

Everyone wants to be lean these days, whether when stepping off a scale in the morning or reviewing the cost of running a successful business. But just how do you define "Lean" — especially in the context of business and technology? Do you think of Lean . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Use Lean Discovery To Accelerate The Return On Your BPM Investment

by Clay Richardson, July 14, 2009

In these lean economic times, business process professionals watch their budgets get slashed, while at the same time, the hunger for business process management (BPM) and process improvement continues to accelerate across the enterprise. To meet these . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Behind "Cloud" Is Your Future Application Environment: Ultra Modular Computing

Shift Cloud Excitement To Your Own Data Centers

by Charles Brett, Jeffrey S. Hammond, April 6, 2009

Cloud computing is all the rage, but its greatest benefit may be to teach IT organizations how to build flexible and cost-efficient private data centers. The technical foundations of cloud computing — commodity hardware, virtualization, elastic workload . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Manufacturing Intelligence Tools Help Deliver Lean Software

A No-Frills Approach To Plant Visibility Brings Fast Results

by Roy C. Wildeman, March 12, 2009

Today's IT environments in manufacturing organizations are characterized by disparate, siloed applications segmented by different data models and jury-rigged integration constructs — a reality that makes maintenance as well as future application development . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

The PMBOK And Agile: Friends Or Foes?

Reconcile The Tension Between The Two To Achieve A Healthy Balance

by Mary Gerush, Dave West, January 22, 2009

Development organizations strive to optimize software delivery. Application development leaders commonly use the Project Management Institute's A Guide To The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). They may also investigate Agile development methodologies . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

In An Abysmal Economy, Application Development Pros Can Prevail

Three Strategies To Help You Win During Challenging Economic Times

by Mary Gerush, January 14, 2009

We're reading a lot these days about the poor economy and falling stock markets. These tough times can force organizations to make drastic changes in the form of budget cuts, office closings, and staff reductions. At the same time, organizations need . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Make Agile Lean To Boost Business Impact

How Lean Thinking Improves The Effectiveness Of Agile Development

by Dave West, December 17, 2008

Over the past five years, Agile development methods have become very popular, but their adoption can be problematic and difficult. Lean thinking focuses organizations on eliminating waste, motivating cross-functional teams, and delivering just what the . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Lean Software Is Agile, Fit-To-Purpose, And Efficient

by John R. Rymer, Dave West, Mike Gilpin, December 12, 2008

Bloat kills. Whether it's excessive complexity in the application, its underlying platform or architecture, or the process used to deliver it, overloaded platform software and heavy processes impede delivery of the solutions the business demands. Yet . . .