Just-In-Time:

Just-in-time (JIT) is a revolutionary production system developed by Taiichi Ohno, a Toyota vice-president. He examined and challenged a known manufacturing principle, and developed a disciplined system that placed Toyota a quantum step ahead of their rivals in the Western countries. This system, now known as, “the Toyota production system,” has set the standard for world-class manufacturing.

The ultimate goal of JIT production is to supply each process with exactly the required items, in exactly the required quantity, at exactly the required time. There are two conditions necessary to reach this situation: large amounts of production flexibility, and very short lead times.

The basic difference between the old method of supply and the new system is that the concept of a one-process department is eliminated. The same work tasks are no longer all performed in the same work area. These highly specialized departments are replaced with mixed lines of processing capabilities laid out in the sequence required to make the part or groups of parts. Parts having similar size, shape, material, and processing sequence are allocated to those lines by a system known as “group technology.” Parts are processed over these lines one at a time in very small batches.

Instead of producing work in one area and pushing them or giving them to the next operation, the goods stay with the producing department until the next step in the process comes to the preceding operation, and takes only what is needed. The traditional method of a “push” system, in which the work is pushed through the operation from beginning to end, is changed to a “pull” system, in which data is only moved forward when it is needed by the next operation.

Just-in-time principles can be used in IT in the following ways:
1. Systems development and maintenance tasks become driven when the user of an internal or external product or service needs them. Programs would not be developed before they are needed for test or production.
2. Systems analysts and programmers would not be given information and documents to store until they need them.
3. Internal information processes would be designed so individuals can move from job to job with minimal delay. For example, programmers should be able to stop working on one program and start another within the JIT ten-minute turnover standard.