The software as a service (SaaS) delivery model has recently become an acceptable business model for software delivery. However, the attractiveness of SaaS to customers, with their low upfront costs and seamless delivery, changes the game in ways that challenge traditional software development methodologies. As customers begin to treat software as an on demand utility, expectations of high uptime, predictable quality, strong security and privacy, and lower total costs become at least as critical as time-honored feature functionality requirements. The efficiency and accuracy of delivery can make or break a business. As demands upon the service increase and change, the resilience and transparent scalability of the operational architecture becomes as important as that of the software running within it. This paper explores how these new challenges parallel modern demands within manufacturing, and how many key lean manufacturing techniques might be applicable within this emerging field.