Can lean systems engineering enhance the value of astrophysical projects

This paper reports the findings of a research carried out at INAF (the Italian Institution of Astrophysics), aimed at checking whether a cultural barrier concerning the concept of “value” can prevent the effective implementation of Lean Management principles in organizations where Systems Engineering is adopted. Our hypothesis concerns the possibility that this barrier could threaten the integration of such two approaches and prevent the effective introduction of Lean Management. To investigate this issue, we have conducted a survey among the projects leaders of INAF and 40 usable questionnaires have been collected and analyzed. The empirical evidence shows that INAF project leaders consider the technical perfection of the product a key goal of their organization. Furthermore, data analysis points out a kind of overlap between the concepts of “value” and “perfection”, which can prevent a more appropriate understanding of what “value” is in the eyes of the stakeholders of the project.