Related to the aforementioned issue of fragmented IT departments is the lack of integration across the entire supply chain, including not only all business partners but also consumers. To this end, lean IT consultants have recently proposed so-called lean consumption of products and services as a complement to lean production.James Womack and Daniel Jones, leading consultants in the field, emphasize that lean consumption isn’t about reducing the amount customers buy. Rather, it is about providing the full value that customers desire from their goods and services, with the greatest efficiency. See Womack, James P. and Jones, Daniel T. “Lean Consumption.” Harvard Business Review. March 2005 In this regard, the processes of provision and consumption are tightly integrated and streamlined to minimize total cost and waste and to create new sources of value.
