TROIA showcased modern and agile operations management methods
Read more about our September 2018 event "Agile Management Methods For Digital Future" where we talked about the management approaches needed to master the digital future and how to understand the part data and analytics play in digital transformation.
Digital transformation is a business transformation and people, not technology, have the most important role in it.
Operations excellence is one of the cornerstones of many digital transformation projects whenever companies strive to be the best they possibly can be as they tackle the market and business challenges of the 21st century. Michele Leonardi, Managing Director of IBM Slovenia, greeted the attendees with a speech: “IBM has proven itself time and time again, the company went through several transformations during its more than a century-long history and has helped thousands of businesses across the globe to run themselves better.”
Primož Sevčnikar, CTO at TROIA, continued: “Our company specializes in asset and service management solutions. We use IBM software, namely IBM Maximo in IBM Control Desk, to accomplish the goals of our clients, furthermore expanding the comprehensive solutions with IT equipment and key applications monitoring. We are already working and building solutions that many companies consider using in the future. At TROIA augmented reality (AR), internet of things (IoT), big data analytics, and different mobile solutions are already hard at work and are helping clients achieve a competitive advantage.” Sevčnikar further explained that today people and data are the two main forces behind changes. The third thing that has to be taken into account at all times is security – without it no business will run long and prosper.
IBM Control Desk – today and tomorrow
Several practical examples highlighted modern operations management implementations in the financial sector. Igor Velimirović, director of ICT infrastructure at Zagrebačka banka, showed the attendees how a modern bank benefitted from IBM Control Desk implementation and what steps it took to get where it is today.
Pete Irving, Channel Sales Leader of IBM Cloud at IBM Europe, took over and explained how companies should cope with challenges in today’s IT landscapes and how they could make themselves future-proof. “Organizations are moving to a more flexible way of transforming their business, shifting focus to rapid DevOps evolvement and systems of engagement that touch clients. Meanwhile, they still use less dynamic but still crucial systems of record. Connecting old, new, and futuristic solutions, processes, and data is the only way to go forward,” explained Irving.
Change is the name of the game
As everything is changing around us, companies are faced with another challenge. How quickly can they and their employees adapt to the new reality? Market changes lead to a change in business models which demand process changes. Traditional roles of people in work environments change, the culture changes, and so does collaboration. The future brings new ways of collaborations, humans will not just interact with each other but will do so with different tools, machines, systems, and artificial intelligence. We’d better get ready for this change.
Agile starts with people
As companies try to speed things up by eliminating paper and digitizing and automating just about everything that can be automated, they are still faced with ‘systems’ that are sometimes much slower to adapt – humans. We, the people, can absorb change slowly or quickly, depending on our motivation and understanding of change. The digital age is not an extinction-level event, but it might as well be for those not willing to adapt. Digital Darwinism takes no prisoners.
Digital transformation done the right way
It’s a mistake to think that most organizations are really ready for profound digital transformation in a broad way. There are still far too many gaps in regards to the digitalization (and automation) of existing processes. A common mistake often has to do with the thinking that digital transformation is a process of turning paper-based stuff into digital content. What really matters is a combination of strategic and prioritized interconnecting and the actions companies take to achieve business goals through digitalization and the use of data.
“Furthermore, there is an even bigger gap between the back-office processes and the front end. An example of this phenomenon can be seen in the financial industry, where there are extremely strong disconnects between the back-office and front end. We all know and feel it, whether it’s in our daily experiences or in the often totally unnecessary administrative tasks in regards to our government-related or finance-related ‘duties’ and interactions where we are forced to use paper, the phone, or channels we really don’t want to use anymore,” commented Jasmina Golob from TROIA. Data might be your (only) friend and ally Knowing the role of data and analytics in digital transformation, there are even more opportunities for change and needs for change management. This is not new: when web analytics became popular, for instance, their implementation and the connection between different data and analytics silos in the customer/marketing space often showed clear needs for digital transformation in many customer-facing and customer-oriented operations, long before the term “digital transformation” became known. Now you already know advanced analytics can do wonder with quality data. Grasp those opportunities and tackle the challenges. Break down silos, free the data and put it to work. Put the data at the core of your digital transformation.
“Digital transformation is first and foremost a business transformation. People, not technology, are the most important piece in any digital transformation puzzle. But never forget the data too” commented Jasmina Golob.
Security is important and so is auditing
The number of cyberattacks is growing and so is the volume of malicious software. Digital threats are very real and should be taken seriously. Security experts claim that it is very likely that a cyberattack will take down the critical infrastructure of every second company that is attacked. Will it be you or your neighbor? It is not enough for only the IT department to address security; security must become an integral part of the consciousness of every single employee. Sure, there are several ways technology can help people, as explained by Darko Dolinar, Head of Internal Audit Department at Bank of Slovenia: “IT, in general, has several controls put in place, but internal auditing is often overlooked. And it shouldn’t be, as it exposes or identifies various business threats, such as human risk and operations and service risks. Auditing helps companies to put in place even better management and control solutions.”
Want to learn more or kick-off the digital transformation process in your company?
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