ABSTRACT

Overview The goals of this chapter are to show the importance of using Lean principles to manage information technology (IT) projects and to discuss ways in which IT can facilitate the deployment of Lean systems in manufacturing and service systems. Relative to the first goal, it has been demonstrated through several studies of IT project deployment that there are chronic breakdowns. Numerous authors and commentators have reported that a significant percentage of IT projects are not executed on time and within budget. Typical reasons for IT project failure include a failure to accurately capture customer and stakeholder requirements; conflicts between key stakeholders; a failure to use basic project management tools and methods (such as a work breakdown structure [WBS]) or scheduling models (such as Gantt charts); poor team member training, including a lack of education and experience; and poor project communication between team members leaders , customers , and key stakeholders. Many of the tools and methods discussed in earlier

chapters will help to improve IT project management and increase the probability of successfully managing and executing IT projects.