Don’t be afraid of Lean

The usual initial reaction to the word lean is a defensive one. Lean is most of the time associated in people’s mind with redundancy plans, more stress, extra work hours and Taylorism. These accusations occur when Lean tends to be wrongly applied. Are the following lean principles really unhearable within a company? Completely satisfy customers … Continue reading Don’t be afraid of Lean

The real importance of material and how it flows

Material concern is not only inherent to the manufacturing industry. Of course, it is much easier to understand it as it is tangible. This does not mean it is not complex. Take a bicycle, a computer or any manufactured good, you can easily visualise some of their components, but you most probably don't have a … Continue reading The real importance of material and how it flows

What does“reducing waste” in IT mean?

Recently an IT manager asked me why some teams' tasks should be considered as “valueless” even though team members worked hard to perform those tasks. This question is key for managers and teams to better succeed in their mission, as well as for their client and for themselves. Therefore, clarifying the notion of success is of … Continue reading What does“reducing waste” in IT mean?

People come first

What is Lean for you? Many answers pour in: cost reduction (wrong answer!), customer satisfaction (not false), operational efficiency (certainly) ... What we believe at Operae Partners is that Lean aims to improve employee’s skills. As a result, deadlines and quality will be improved, customer satisfaction achieved, and costs reduced. In Lean, people come first. … Continue reading People come first

Reducing IT incidents, a priority for major European banks

Translation of a post published on our French-speaking blog in September 2018. More transparency on IT incidents Since August 15, 2018, British banks have been required to indicate on their websites the number of IT incidents that have caused interruptions to payment services. According to Les Echos article of August 17, 2018, the five largest … Continue reading Reducing IT incidents, a priority for major European banks

How Lean Problem Solving Increases Agile Team Productivity

In this article published on InfoQ.com, Marc Legru and Kevin Raynel share the example of a mobile applications startup. When faced with a problem, people in technology companies often feel pressured to jump to a solution quicklyThese solutions may work but are often not optimal and may have unintended consequencesApplying a rigorous approach to formulating … Continue reading How Lean Problem Solving Increases Agile Team Productivity