Alumni Lecture: Lawell Kiing (SAP), Empowering Innovation through the power of LEAN

Date: Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Time: 6 pm (Networking starts at 6 pm, lecture starts at 6:30 pm)
Location: Rm C680, Robson Square, 800 Robson Street
Map:https://robsonsquare.ubc.ca/find-us/
RSVP:mng@cs.ubc.ca

Speaker: Lawell Kiing - SAP

Title:  Empowering Innovation through the power of LEAN

Abstract:

With all the talk of LEAN startups these days, is there something about LEAN that fosters innovation or is it just merely the fact that startups are small and have to be naturally more innovative and “LEAN”?  It is my experience that LEAN is actually an empowering mechanism for innovation. Many of innovations inhibitors are alleviated through the deployment of LEAN and many of innovations cultivators are fostered by it. In this presentation, I will discuss some of the experiences I had in the various organizations and attempt to correlate LEAN and innovation and discuss some factors and examples of what worked and what didn’t, from an organization level down to the team and individual level.

Speaker Bio: 

Lawell Kiing is currently senior director of engineering in the Business Intelligence development unit in SAP which acquired Business Objects at the end of 2007. He joined Business Objects in 2004 right after it acquired Crystal Decisions. His current responsibilities include leading the LEAN/Agile implementation for the unit globally and helping projects to become more productivity and successful. Lawell has been in the computing industry since 1988 after he graduated from UBC with a degree in Computer Science. He has worked in various companies including IBM (12 years) and Corel holding  development and leadership positions and was also part of a startup during the dot.com days.