There's an App for That!

There’s been great accomplishments over the last four or five years in technology.   Cloud services makes it possible to get an App on just about anything, anywhere and anytime.    Not only that, there’re pretty good too considering you can use most across multiple platforms.    And there’re not that expensive, sometimes even free if you don’t need all the bells and whistles.    There’re mostly intuitive and easy to learn and use, if not no problem, just get another one.   And to top it off you can get them yourself and fast through App Stores without going through the hassles of IT or Procurement. 

Cloud Adoption, Tip of the Iceberg? 

Cloud services are so wildly successful, many organizations don’t realize how many are being used in their company.    SkyHigh Networks published Cloud Adoption & Risk Report Q1 2015 estimates the average company now uses 923 distinct cloud services which is up 21.6% over previous quarter. “That number is more than 10 times higher than what IT estimates, highlighting the exceptional growth in employee-led cloud adoption” and growing.

Icebergs Sink Ships!

For a CIO this brings up some interesting questions.   Who is responsible for cloud services?  What are the risks?  What impact will this have on legacy IT models?  How do we harvest value and minimize the risk? Where will we get the resources?

This article looks at some of the opportunities and challenges created by Cloud services through the lens of Lean CSI which is “new thinking on delivering value with resource constraints”.

Cloud computing now makes it possible for the business to bypass IT and directly buy the services they want, when they need them, inexpensively and with reasonably good quality.  

CIOs and IT Managers are under extreme pressure to create, deliver and demonstrate business value like never before.

However like most organizations you already have a lot on your plate.  

• You’re under pressure to create customer value
• You have resource constraints
• People naturally resist change
• Making improvements stick and deliver value is not easy. 

New thinking on delivering value with limited resources

Lean CSI is a solution and new way of thinking that will delight your customers by increasing your capacity to work more strategic and reduce time-to-value by minimizing non-value activities that consume your resources.

It's a continual service improvement method, techniques and tools that leverages lean thinking, six sigma tools and measurement best practices.  When combined they determine what work creates value; how to make if flow efficiently; how to increase quality; and how to sustain your improvements.

It uses the following features:

• Domino Effect is a method that helps create value faster with more focus and less effort! 
• Value Canvas is a tool and technique that helps create better improvement plans that people embrace
• Register is a tool that helps you Increases success using better change controls 
• Lean IT Measurements is a technique to measure the things critical to delivering value.

Quickly create and capture opportunities to deliver the benefits (like Cloud services) your customers need and want by leveraging your existing resources.

Learn how to use Lean CSI to create real value

Quickly learn new thinking on how to create value with limited resources (time, people and/or money).

Targeted education serves to meet the specific needs of the various levels of IT Service Management.

• The Value Stream educates managers on how to create and deploy a Lean CSI methodology that delivers more value with limited resources.   Ensures they are measuring what’s important in a coherent and structured approach that is aligned to realize value driven goals using Lean IT measurements.
• The Analytics Stream educates practitioners on how to implement a measurement framework and use analytical tools and techniques to quickly instrument, measure, learn, improve and create real value.  Manage the measurement lifecycle using a repeatable process to drive continual service improvements; and learn Six Sigma techniques, skills and methods needed to analyze ITSM metrics to support corrective and/or preventative actions.
• The Measurement Stream educates administrators on how to configure a measurement system to gather, process and report trustworthy and meaningful metrics for ITSM.

Let us help you create real value sooner!

We know you’re pressed for resources.  Let our experts’ help you get started quicker and learn new thinking to help you create real value sooner.  Sign up for our Lean CSI virtual training session in July 2015 and save 30% off the suggested price.    

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P.S. Can’t make the date?  No problem, sessions are recorded for anytime access for your convenience.

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David Smith is the president of Micromation Inc. We help organizations increase customer value through continual improvement of services and processes by minimizing waste while maximizing yield.