Book: Far from the Factory: Lean for the Information Age

Coming to terms with waste, value, and continuous flow in the technology-rich, service-oriented office

Published: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 11:31

(CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL) -- Far from the Factory: Lean for the Information Age (CRC Press, 2010) delivers the tools and techniques needed to adapt lean manufacturing concepts of waste, value, and continuous flow to the technology-rich, service-oriented office. Today most of the work-to-be-done flows through our information systems bite by bite. This means that the traditional types of waste you find in the factory are not the types of waste you find in the modern office.

The wasteland for the knowledge worker consists of waste of e-mail, waste of excess complexity and process, waste of reporting, waste of multitasking, and others. Effective access, development, and exchange of information are the most critical factors affecting the result of knowledge workers’ efforts. This reference explains how to create an environment where these workers will not only solve problems faster but also become more efficient in using information and knowledge to make decisions.

Quite simply, this book is for any organization with a lot of Web DNA that wishes to cut costs, improve performance, and stay perpetually competitive. It is for change agents or managers within those organizations who work with information and want to leverage the latest tool sets to deliver on the promise of lean for the modern, information-rich office.

Co-author George Gonzalez-Rivas has been a process improvement consultant for most of his life and has worked with several consulting companies, most recently as a partner for PA Consulting Group. He is currently the national director of AnyLogic America. Gonzalez-Rivas has advised telecom, energy, and product development organizations and is the inventor of the Infel Matrix approach to information modeling. He is continuously improving his lean skills.

Co-author Linus Larsson, until recently a partner at PA Consulting, is now pursuing new business ventures with The Quest Group while he is at work on another new book. As an advisor on strategy and performance improvement to large international corporations for more than 20 years, Linus has worked with high-performance companies in a range of industries, including manufacturing, financial services, health care, and business services. He has held senior management positions with several global business services corporations, where he has helped pioneer a number of lean initiatives. His diverse experience and innovative approach, along with his record of success, make him a leading thinker as well as a sought-after writer, speaker, and advisor on effective ways to apply lean philosophy in a nonfactory environment.

About The Author

CRC Press

CRC Press is a premier global publisher of science, technology, and medical resources. It offers unique, trusted content by expert authors, spreading knowledge and promoting discovery worldwide. Its aim is to broaden thinking and advance understanding in the sciences, providing researchers, academics, professionals, and students with the tools they need to share ideas and realize their potential. CRC Press is a member of Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business.