Mary Poppendieck has been in the Information Technology industry for twenty five years. She has managed solutions for companies in several disciplines, including supply chain management, manufacturing systems, and digital media. As a seasoned leader in both operations and new product development, she provides a business perspective to software development problems.

As Information Systems Manager in a video tape manufacturing plant, Mary first encountered the Toyota Production System, which later became known as Lean Production. She implemented one of the first Just-in-Time systems in 3M, resulting in dramatic improvements in the plant's performance.

Mary's team leadership skills are legendary in 3M, where new product development is a core competency. One team commercialized a graphics interface controller three times faster than normal. Another team not only developed an image database system in partnership with a start-up company, but also set a new international standard for image formats.

A popular writer and speaker, Mary’s classes on managing software development offer a fresh perspective on project management. Her book Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit, was published by Addison Wesley in May, 2003 and won the Software Development Productivity Award in 2004.