Improving the flow of value in IT

For non-software IT flows such as IT asset delivery, optimizing the flow involves reviewing steps in the flow and eliminating, optimizing, or automating necessary steps to increase delivery speed. The following diagram shows the IT asset delivery flow:

Figure 12.5 – IT asset delivery flow

As shown in the diagram, the flow commences when an employee requests a device. This request goes through several steps before the device is issued to the requester. At Snow in the Desert, line manager approval is based on whether the employee holds a device already, cost center approval is based on the budget left, finance approval is based on the monthly spend limit, and store approval is based on the right devices for the right purpose and their availability. A critical review of this reveals that all approvals except the store approval could be automated, and therefore the flow speed can be dramatically improved.

Software delivery...