Digitalisering med brukerinvolvering : Utvikling av digitale plattformer med prinsipper fra Lean tankegang

Abstract

Kruse Smith AS has since 2018 had an ongoing goal of creating “a simpler Kruse”. Inthis regard, a digital service platform called Integrert Prosjektgjennomførelse (iPG)has been developed in collaboration with Communicate through a Lean Startup thin-king. This master thesis is inspired by the phenomenon of user involvement and isbased on theory linked to human behavior, Lean and Lean Startup. The purpose ofthe thesis is to explore what impact Lean Startup may have in connection with digita-lization processes with the underlying research questions seeking answers to how LeanStartup can in practice 1)help to improve the efficiency of the digitization process,meet user needs and validate possible solutions, 2)handle the user’s needs related tothe digitization processand 3)be disturbed by challenges along the way. The researchprocess is guided by a critically realistic viewpoint with an abductive approach andis carried out as a case study where both qualitative and quantitative data have beenused to give the study a nuanced picture.The findings in the thesis indicate that in practice Lean Startup has helped improvethe process of digitalization at Kruse Smith. Overproduction of elements that havenot generated the desired effect on end users have been reduced or eliminated. It hasalso been identified that the methodology used corresponds with the fundamentalprinciples of Lean Startup, which in turn increases the likelihood that the businessmeets the actual needs of its end users. Increased rate of iterations has further be-en observed to increase the potential for positive user motivation. Despite this, thefindings suggests that similar use of strategy may not necessarily be considered trans-ferable to an arbitrary business. This can be explained by the fact that differentbarriers can occur already during the bidding and contracting phase, and that otherchallenges can arise during the execution of the methodology.