Lean IT adoption: success cases in Portuguese banks

Lean IT emerged as a fusion between Information Technology (IT) and Lean thinking. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding on how Lean thinking may be applied to the IT sector, through the study of the outcome from the application of Lean IT in two Portuguese banks. The paper will analyse how the Lean IT approach addresses the challenge of increasing competitiveness; analyse the Lean IT implementation methodology adopted by the 2 banks; and how are the banks maintaining the Lean IT approaches. The implementation process was surveyed through a series of interviews which uncovered differences in terms of Lean IT practices and tools used by both organisations. Empirical evidence made clear that the Lean IT adoption by the banking institutions made them more competitive. Moreover, it was also important to notice that Lean IT became part of the organisational culture thus justifying its permanence. This research shows examples on how the use of Lean IT may help other organisations become more agile and valuable to their customers, thereby, increasing their competitiveness.