By Peter Krass

“An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come,” wrote Victor Hugo more than 150 years ago. Today, that idea is Lean IT.

Lean IT is an approach to process improvement that is based on efficiency concepts first developed by manufacturers. It promises to help CIOs deliver more value to customers. Lean IT eliminates work that fails to add value to a product or service. In return, the benefits include greater visibility into IT applications and services, lower costs and higher quality.

In this, our ninth issue of Smart Enterprise, we explore the many facets of Lean IT. In our cover story, “Intuit’s New SaaS,” contributing editor Larry Lange shows how Ginny Lee, CIO of Intuit, uses Lean approaches to extend her company’s reach online. Intuit, which for many years has dominated the business of packaged software for tax preparation, personal finance and small-business accounting, is now expanding to offer its software in online versions. To get there, CIO Lee is eliminating waste, optimizing her staff and implementing other Lean IT practices. “The concept of Lean is a big part of Intuit’s DNA,” Lee says, “and it’s no different for IT.”

In addition, our cover story also examines TechTeam Global. This IT outsourcing provider has been relying on Lean IT techniques to power a three-year effort to deepen relationships with customers.

Lean IT is also the focus of several other articles in this issue. In our CIO Roundtable section, IT leaders from Manpower, Time Warner and Nationwide Children’s Hospital detail how they use process improvement strategies to thrive in these challenging times. In Smart Practices, veteran security writer George Hulme explains how CIOs can reduce risk, cut costs and ease the challenge of regulatory compliance by integrating security operations throughout IT.

Here at Smart Enterprise, we are big believers in the irresistible power of Lean IT. How about you? Is your organization applying Lean IT to the creation and delivery of its most important products and services? And if so, with what kinds of results? I welcome your answers, further questions and comments at editor@smartenterprisemag.com.