Lean manufacturing has been a staple for more than 2 decades, with an emphasis on producing products "faster, better, and cheaper." Now, the emphasis has been shifting to "Lean IT," in which the same principles are applied to the production of software and applications within enterprises. At the core of Lean is the idea that processes need to be subjected to continuous improvement, while taking out any duplication and waste. Guidelines such as ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) help establish the foundation for Lean IT.
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