Kevin Benedict Ponders the Future

15 Rules for Winning in Digital Transformation and the Doctrine to Match

Competitors can’t compete, and leaders can’t lead if they don’t know the rules of the game. Understanding how points are scored, and what is required to win is key to any competition. In the age of digital transformation there are key rules to learn:

Data is the modern commercial battlefield
Information dominance is the strategic goal
It takes an “Optimized Information Logistics Systems” (OILS) to compete
Advantages in speed, analytics, operational tempos and information logistics - determine the winners
Real-time operational tempos are required
Businesses that can “analyze data and act and with speed” dominate those which are slower
Advantages exponentially increase competitive advantages
Situational awareness enables innovations and operations at a lower cost and with increased efficiencies
Principal of API Acceleration & Mobility – As demand for mobile apps increases, an even greater demand for new APIs and changes across the business and IT will arise
Mobile apps provide only as much value as the systems behind them
The more data that is collected, analyzed and used, the greater the economic value and innovation opportunities it produces
Data has a shelf life, and the economic value of data diminishes quickly over time
The economic value of information multiplies when combined with context and right time delivery
The size of opponents are less representative of power today, than the quality of their sensor systems, mobile communication links and their ability to use information to their advantage
Ultimately winners will dominate by automating decision-making and executing repetitive work using robotic process automation better and faster than competitors through the implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning

These rules not only help you understand how to compete and win, but they should also guide enterprises in their development of a digital transformation doctrine.

In a recent survey we conducted with over 2,000 executives in 18 countries, the majority of all survey participants agreed that developing a clear digital transformation strategy is a top priority. Digital transformation strategies, however, grow out of, and are shaped and guided by a digital transformation doctrine (DTD). We define doctrine as a documented way of thinking, a common frame of reference across an organization, which provides an authoritative body of statements on how the business should approach digital transformation. It provides a common lexicon for use and a framework for developing strategies. The DTD is a necessary first step before digital transformation strategies and tactics can be developed and implemented.

Digital technologies do not just enhance and extend existing processes and models, but they open doors to all kinds of new innovations, opportunities, competitors, businesses processes, strategies and even new industries. An organization’s DTD must be capable of leading them successfully through these massive and accelerating changes.

An organization’s DTD should influence all of their strategies, how they operate, and the tactics they employee to compete. In our research, we find that although most companies recognize digital transformation is happening, few have a doctrine to lead them on this chaotic journey. Without a DTD, organizations lack a unified understanding of why they are engaged in digital transformation and the role transformation plays in helping them compete successfully.

Executive teams must define how their organization should think about digital transformation. The DTD should be obvious in every program, project, campaign, product and service within the company. A sample of a DTD follows:

The digital transformation of our marketplace is changing the behaviors of our customers and the nature of our competition. We must anticipate and embrace permanent flux by employing digital technologies and strategies, and by creating a digitally agile business and a digitally transformed enterprise. We will achieve information dominance by investing appropriately to develop and maintain an optimized information logistics system. We will restructure our organizations for business agility, speed and real-time decision-making. We will develop a culture that encourages collaboration, innovation and creativity.

Follow Kevin Benedict on Twitter @krbenedict, or read more of his articles on digital transformation strategies here:

************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Senior Analyst, Center for the Future of Work, Cognizant Writer, Speaker and World Traveler

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Subscribe to Kevin'sYouTube Channel

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and digital transformation analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

The Latest Mobile & Digital Expert Interviews by Kevin Benedict

Go behind the scenes of the retail and fashion world with SAP and enterprise mobility expert, Kevin Benedict. In this video Kevin Benedict interviews SAP's Tim Hood GVP, Retail Strategy and Technology.

Video Link: https://www.facebook.com/HANAbySAP/videos/1179750908715401/

Learn about mobile solutions for farmers in Brazil.

Video Link: https://www.facebook.com/HANAbySAP/videos/1180359911987834/

Learn about digital transformation strategies from Microsoft's Rob Tiffany.

Mobility expert Kevin Benedict interviews Box's Chief Strategy Officer and SVP of Platforms Jeetu Patel.

Kevin Benedict's latest video on mobile commerce trends and strategies.

In this interview, Kevin Benedict interviews SAP's VP of Platform Technologies, Ken Tsai on digital transformation and machine learning.

In this interview, Kevin Benedict interviews APAC mobility expert and Kony Solutions VP of Sales Engineering, Malachy Martin on the latest trends in enterprise mobility.

************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Senior Analyst, Center for the Future of Work, Cognizant Writer, Speaker and World Traveler

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Subscribe to Kevin'sYouTube Channel

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

The End Goal of Digital Transformation

Although we often write about and discuss digital transformation, we often fail to identify the end goal we are really trying to achieve. We talk at great length about data, analytics, speed, information logistics systems and personalized user experiences, but none of these are the end goal. Ultimately we must digitally transform so we can remove the “fog of war,” and have clear visibility and insights into our businesses and the needs of our customers. The end goal of digital transformation, however, is the ability to rapidly act and react to changing data, competitive conditions and strategies fastest enough to succeed.

Knowledge is nothing, if not tied to action. In a recent survey of 500 managers, they reported the number one mistake companies are making in digital transformation is moving too slow. They may have all the necessary information and strategies, but if they are incapable of acting or reacting fast enough to matter, then it is wasted. Digital transformation includes the information logistics systems capable of collecting, analyzing and reporting data fast enough to be useful, plus the ability to act and react in response.

The ability to respond, may involve transforming many different IT systems, business processes and organizational structures to facilitate business agility and speed. It will likely take a lot of work and strong leadership. This unfortunately is not always available as managers surveyed list employing the wrong leadership for digital transformation as the third biggest mistake companies make.

Is the ROI (return on investment) for digital transformation worth all the trouble? The answer is found in a recent survey we conducted involving 2,000 executives where they identified the top 5 ways digital transformations drives value generation as follows:

Accelerates speed to market
Strengthens competitive positioning
Boosts revenue growth
Raises employee productivity
Expands ability to acquire, engage and retain customers

A quick review of the top 5 show they are critical. The number one value generator is “accelerates speed to market,” in other words it enables faster actions and reactions.

Follow Kevin Benedict on Twitter @krbenedict, or read more of his articles on digital transformation strategies here:

************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Senior Analyst, Center for the Future of Work, Cognizant Writer, Speaker and World Traveler

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Subscribe to Kevin'sYouTube Channel

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

Surviving the Three Ages of Digital Transformation

When digital laggards finally recognize the degree of market disruption caused by the rapid adoption of digital technologies, and desperately try to outrun the inescapable Darwinian effect of their slow response, they will be faced with not one, but three ages of digital transformation to navigate and survive. Understanding these ages, and what is unique about each one, is critical for business strategy, prioritizing, planning, sequencing and budgeting.

Today, we live and work in the Age of Disruptive Transformation. Traditional methods of conducting business, marketing products, delivering services, and engaging customers have been dramatically disrupted by digital technologies. These disruptions were caused by the rapid consumer adoption of a new set of new digital and mobile technologies, and the resulting behavioral changes. Enterprises that fail to recognize these consumer and market disruptions, and fail to rapidly respond to them, will ultimately join a long list of companies, with familiar brands, that have filed for bankruptcy as a result of their inability to transform at the speed consumers are adopting new digital technologies and behaviors.

The Age of Hyper-Transformation transpires over the years 2016 through 2020. During this age the gap between digital laggards and leaders quickly widens into a chasm nearly impossible to leap. Often emerging technologies are subtle at first and easy to overlook. They emerge as small start-ups with interesting technologies, innovative business models and oversized ambitions. VCs and angel investors start to invest in clusters around similar technologies. Once these digital technologies take root and begin disrupting traditional businesses the velocity of their impact on businesses accelerates across the globe faster than enterprises can respond.

We are in the Age of Hyper-Transformation today, and we are already seeing the consequences on companies not able to react fast enough. These companies were blinded to early market and consumer signals, and failed to recognize market disruption until too late. These competitive oversights will be amplified during the Age of Hyper-Transformation and cause many leading companies to stumble.

The Age of Ubiquitous Transformation completes the series covering the years 2020-2025. The rate of accelerating business impact slows as digital technologies mature, business adoptions widen and become ubiquitous, and the new digital normal arrives. Robotic process automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning support the real-time digital enterprise, constantly monitoring and adjusting the business and alerting to changes in the rapidly changing competitive landscape.

The survivors of the two earlier ages of digital transformation will have adjusted their business models, sales and marketing, and supply chains to be agile, real-time, lean, all sensing and responsive to emerging technology and consumer trends. The new digital normal will embrace constant change and perpetual migration in symbiotic pace with the evolving digital consumer.

Stay tuned for my upcoming report on digital transformation, innovations and key technologies.

Read more on digital transformation strategies here:

************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Senior Analyst, Center for the Future of Work, Cognizant Writer, Speaker and World Traveler

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Subscribe to Kevin'sYouTube Channel

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

Digital Transformation Expert Interviews: SAP's Ken Tsai

Last week I had the privilege to speak with many different digital transformation and mobility experts at SAP's large annual user conference SAPPHIRENOW 2016. I filmed several of these interviews, and this one, with SAP's VP of Platform Technologies, Ken Tsai, is especially insightful.

************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Senior Analyst, Center for the Future of Work, Cognizant Writer, Speaker and World Traveler

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Subscribe to Kevin'sYouTube Channel

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

The Impact of Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is a revenue growth engine according to fifty futurists we surveyed. Many companies are already experiencing significant benefits and gaining competitive advantages. The futurists predicted the top five impacts of digital transformation on businesses by the year 2020 will be:

Speed to market
Competitive positioning
Revenue growth
Productivity
New distribution channels

Given the importance of these top-five on revenue growth and the future success of a business, who would not want to digitally transform their enterprise? Non-believers that's who. Non-believers, aka laggards, in our study of 2,000 executives don't believe in significant digital transformation now, or in the future. They don't demonstrate a sense of urgency or a recognition of the massive changes happening around them today. They seem blind to the fact companies are witnessing an increase in revenue already from their digital transformation investments.

Digital transformation-believers aka digital leaders, however, are investing significantly more now, and receiving positive ROIs on their investments already. As a result, they plan to invest greater amounts in the future, and predict higher ROIs in the future relative to non-believers.

Based on our survey data, believers and non-believers are seeing alternative realities. Non-believers, if they don't quickly become converts, are going to face increasing challenges staying competitive and relevant against digitally transformed competitors.

When we asked mid-level managers to list the top 10 mistakes companies are making regarding digital transformation today, they listed the following in order of rank:

Moving too slowly
Lack of clear digital strategy
Company has the wrong leadership for digital transformation
Investing too little in new technology
Not focusing enough on cyber-security
Culture that discourages innovation
Lack organizational structures to drive digital transformation
Ignoring fresh thinking from external sources
Not educating the entire organization on digital transformation
Neglecting to hire the right digital talent

This list describes the actions or non-actions we are seeing from non-believing companies.

Let's pull all our findings together and review once again:

Futurists see digital transformation as a revenue growth engine
Believers are already reporting positive ROIs, and as a result, plan even higher levels of investment and revenues in the future.
Non-believers are investing little today, seeing little ROI, and are planning relatively little investment in digital transformation in the future.
Mid-level managers report the biggest challenges are moving too slowly, a lack of a clear strategy, wrong leadership and too little investment in new technologies.
The revenue gap between what believers and non-believers predict in the future as a result of digital transformation is significant across all industries. Survey participants believe the bulk of the revenue gains will be achieved by the year 2020, with incremental gains continuing thereafter. That is only 3.5 years from now. Yikes! That reflects a view that more revenue is available now for fast movers. It also suggests a realization that a lot of work needs done quickly. Non-believers, because of inaction and/or a lack of investment, seem likely to miss out on these early revenue gains and will suffer competitively.

Businesses must invest the time and effort now to understand the impact of digital transformation on their industry, market and company. Once there is situational awareness achieved and a clear vision articulated, a digital transformation doctrine needs to be developed and socialized so strategies can be developed to achieve the vision set forth in the doctrine. What technologies should believers invest in over the next 3.5 years to achieve digital transformation? In the opinions of over 2,000 survey participants the largest business impacts will come from the following technologies:

Big data/business analytics
Cyber-security
Cloud
Collaboration technologies
Mobile technologies
IoT/sensors
Artificial intelligence
Digital currency
Sharing economy
Social Media

When asked for year 2025 predictions, survey participates anticipate a similar list, but with even higher business impacts from each.

It is interesting that core systems like ERPs, CRMs, HCMs and SCMs were not identified as driving high business impact. I am wondering if companies still view digital transformation as "add-on" technology? In my view, a business' ability to convert from "human-time" to "digital-time" and operate at a real-time operational tempo requires digital transformation across the entire ILS (information logistics system). The ILS is the master or umbrella system that manages and processes data across the entire organization to optimize business performance and customer interactions. This ILS system includes all the core systems that today, often involve legacy systems incapable of supporting the new world of digital-time. It is my analysis that many companies will ultimately be required to replace legacy core systems in order to accomplish true digital transformation.

If you find yourself sitting in IT and business meetings every week listening to how existing legacy IT systems will not permit new business processes, new business services, new business models and new innovations required to compete and win, then you should recognize those are red flags and things can get ugly, quickly.

When the New Year's ball drops at midnight and year 2020 comes around, will you be found among the believers? Stay tuned for my new report on digital transformation technologies and strategies.

Read more on digital transformation strategies here:

************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Senior Analyst, Center for the Future of Work, Cognizant Writer, Speaker and World Traveler

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Subscribe to Kevin'sYouTube Channel

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

Forces Driving the Digital Transformation Era

The words “digital transformation” appear everywhere today. I use them in discussions daily. They describe the era we live in - an era where the rules of business, strategies and the pace of business have changed. In this era the manner in which we operate our businesses, and interact with our customers, suppliers, employees, partners and even physical objects have changed. This new era is different. We feel urgency for more information, deeper insights, faster operational tempos and business agility. We recognize a need for change, but to what?

I propose that it is important to understand how we got to the era of digital transformation. What path led us here? What are the contributing factors? For that purpose, let’s begin by considering how we moved over the past decade from a commercial environment full of disconnected unknowns, to the world of connected knowns. How we evolved from mass markets of faceless customers to precision markets of one. How did we get here today? I posit that rapid advances in six areas have converged to create the era of digital transformation:

I propose that it is important to understand how we got to the era of digital transformation. What path led us here? What are the contributing factors? For that purpose, let’s begin by considering how we moved over the past decade from a commercial environment full of disconnected unknowns, to the world of connected knowns today. How did we get here? I posit that rapid advances in six areas have converged to create the era of digital transformation:

Hardware
Software
Networks (cables, wireless and human)
Societal and industry comprehension
Democratization of technology at scale (low costs & mass adoption)
Moving beyond human time to digital time

The evolutionary path to digital transformation followed a timeline that included the invention and development of the following[1]:

Computers & Moore’s Law
Memory and data storage
Mass adoption of PCs and laptops
Local Networks
ERPs
The internet
Mobile networks and mobile phones
GPS
Mass global adoption of wireless devices (laptops, mobile phones, tablets, smartphones, wearables, sensors)
Proliferation of websites and online activity
Rapid adoption and expansion of online and mobile databases and search
Rapid adoption and expansion of online marketplaces and reviews
Rapid adoption of online and now mobile payments
The transformation from physical to digital (think retail stores to e-commerce, and now m-commerce)
Move from paper documents to digits
Rapid expansion of embedded computers
Rapid adoption and proliferation of mobile apps and the mobile web
Online gaming
Rapid transformation from traditional marketing to digital and mobile marketing
Rapid addition of smartphone enabled sensors
Rapid evolution and adoption of online social networks, social media sites and content sharing
Online classified sites (e.g. Craig’s List)
Rapid emergence of the sharing economy (e.g. Airbnb, Uber, etc.)
Rapid adoption of online education services
Rapid adoption and expansion of online entertainment movies, TV programs and streaming music
Wearables
Cloud computing
Rapid emergence of cloud based platforms for everything
Internet of Things
Industrial Internet (telematics, smart grids)
Proliferation of analytics and reporting
Mobile wallets
Development of advanced algorithms
Artificial intelligence and machine learning
Augmented reality
Robotic process automation

All of these innovations and advances, and our adoption of them, changed us. We are different consumers. We are different employers and employees. Our expectations increased. We became impatient and mobile. We became global. We demand immediate, accurate and real-time responses. We want personalized and contextually relevant experiences. We want digital experiences that are beautiful, simple and elegant. We want instant access to all products, services, news, information and friends’ status. We want to share our lives instantly and globally. We want to find things, buy things, move money and complete transactions from anywhere at anytime.

All of these innovations and our resulting behavioral changes – changed commercial marketplaces and brought us to the tipping point. Definition of tipping point: the point at which a series of small changes or incidents becomes significant enough to cause a larger, more drastic change. That drastic change today is – digital transformation.

Read more on digital transformation strategies here:

[1] Not a definitive list

************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Senior Analyst, Center for the Future of Work, Cognizant Writer, Speaker and World Traveler

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Subscribe to Kevin'sYouTube Channel

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

A Digital Transformation Doctrine is Required

In my 30-years in the high tech industry I have often heard the business maxim, “Develop a business strategy first, and then find the technology to support it.” This well-worn business doctrine, I have come to believe in this age of digital transformation, is wrong and it is time to repudiate it.

Let me support my argument by first asking a few questions. What came first e-commerce or the Internet? What came first mobile commerce, or wireless mobile communications? What came first the commercial airline industry or the airplane? What came first armored knights being used as shock troops, or stirrups? Stirrups of course! Technology innovations have a long history of appearing first, and then doctrines evolving slowly later. What we are learning, however, is if your outdated business doctrines are dictating the speed of your technology adoptions - you are in big trouble! The world is moving much too fast and organizations must now align the tempo of their business doctrine evolution with the pace of technology innovations and customer adoptions.

Strategy is the art of making use of time and space. I am less concerned about the latter than the former. Space we can recover, lost time never." -- Napoleon Bonaparte

Today digital transformations defined as, “Changes across an organization associated with the application of digital technologies,” are happening all around us as a result of technology innovations and fast changing consumer behaviors. These digital transformations, welcomed or not, force new and updated business doctrines if companies are to successfully compete.

Before we move on, let’s define doctrine as, “Fundamental principles by which an organization guides their actions to accomplish their mission.” It is a conceptual framework of knowledge and thought relevant to the environment and times. It provides a common vocabulary for use across organizations. It reflects an aggregated understanding of six key areas:

Who am I?
What are my objectives or missions?
What are my strengths and weaknesses?
What is the nature of my competition?
How do I prepare to compete?
What methods do I employ to compete and win?

I propose organizations today need a “digital transformation” doctrine, a DTD (digital transformation doctrine). Without a DTD, organizations will lack a unified understanding of why they are transforming, and the role transformation plays in helping them compete successfully to achieve their overall objectives.

Doctrine represents and codifies best practice, based on enduring principles, examples from history and validated lessons from experience and operations. An approved set of principles and methods, intended to provide organisations with a common outlook and a uniform basis for action. ~ Professor Richard Holmes, Army Doctrine Primer

As we all know digital technologies do not just enhance and extend existing processes and models, but they open doors to all kinds of new innovations, competitors, businesses processes, strategies and even new industries. An organization’s DTD must be capable of leading them successfully through these massive and accelerating changes. An organization’s DTD should influence all of their strategies, how they operate and the tactics they employee to compete. In our research, we find most companies are experiencing digital transformation, but few have a recognized doctrine to lead them on this digital transformation journey.

A useful example of a DTD is, "Ensure competitive advantages in your defined marketplaces through information dominance and by employing superior data collection, analysis and information logistics systems, which provide full situational awareness, support data-driven decision-making, automated algorithms and enable the delivery of real-time contextually relevant insights and personalized digital user experiences." ~ Kevin Benedict

Read more on digital transformation strategies here:

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Senior Analyst, Center for the Future of Work, Cognizant Writer, Speaker and World Traveler

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Subscribe to Kevin'sYouTube Channel

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

Digital Transformation - A Revolution in Precision Through IoT, Mobility and Analytics

Fog of War

Sensors allow us to digitally monitor our physical world, and take real-time action on the data from afar. Plant managers, in fact, can manage multiple manufacturing locations around the world in real-time via sensors and Internet connectivity. Drone pilots in the Nevada desert; project military force by flying combat missions around the world via sensors and remote control. Trucking companies can track and manage, via telematics, thousands of trucks, trailers and their cargo all across the country in real-time. As automation increases due to advances in sensors, bandwidth, artificial intelligence, algorithms and machine learning - precision becomes not only possible, but also all-important.

The “fog of war” describes a chaotic and competitive environment filled with unknowns, uncertainty and imprecise data. In a not so distant past, military leaders suffering in the "fog of war," desperately sought answers to four key questions:

Where are my enemies?
Where are my friends?
Where are my forces?
What are their strengths?

These unknowns and uncertainties impacted the strategies and tactics military leaders employed. Their focus, and many of their resources, were dedicated to defending against the unknown. Today mobile apps, sensors and analytics are reducing the “fog of war” in many industries and markets by making more of it “known.” How then is the revolution in precision transforming businesses and strategies today?

Many companies have not evolved from antiquated business models based on the “unknown and imprecise”, and continue to throw good money after bad by following "estimate-based" models. Sears’ reported this quarter that their sales decreased, and on-hand inventories increased. These numbers seem to reflect an estimate-based model lacking precise market knowledge.

Many companies continue to follow old school estimate-based models and business case studies that don’t incorporate the availability of massive quantities of real-time data available today. They have yet to change their strategies and tactics to support the new precision models.

The retailer Macy’s, is also facing a challenging quarter. In response they announced a new business strategy focusing on individual customers and personalizing their experiences (read more on personalization in Cutting Through Chaos in the Age of Mobile Me). In the past Macy’s focused on selecting inventory and marketing to “regions,” not “individuals." Macy’s regional approach highlights the challenge many companies face exploiting precision data. Edward Deming, the father of quality improvement, once said, “The big problems are where people don't realize they have one in the first place.” But in this case it seems Macy’s recognized the problem.

Mass marketing to regions is the antithesis of precision. It is an “estimate-based” strategy formulated in a time when there was inprecise data. It is not a strategy for today.

Ignoring today’s “revolution in precision” is like a manufacturer ignoring the “continuous quality improvement” (CQI) movement over the past 60 years. CQI is the process-based, data-driven approach to improving the quality of a product or service. It operates under the premise there is always room for improving operations, processes, and activities to increase quality. CQI teaches the importance of measuring everything and working with precise data to document reality and to recognize progress. The American automobile industry tried ignoring CQI for many years and suffered the consequences, while the Japanese auto industry excelled at quality. In another classic quote from Edward Deming, he said, “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” Taking advantage of precision is a must if surviving is in your plan.

The revolution in precision we are experiencing today is the result of our ability to precisely measure, in real-time, all kinds of new things that impact our business as a result of the Internet, mobile devices and connected sensors. These developments make precise data available from all corners of the globe in real-time. Precise data today makes traditional estimate-based business models, strategies and tactics obsolete.

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Watch my latest video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi1GJC_1Ddk&feature=youtu.be
************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Senior Analyst, Center for the Future of Work, Cognizant Writer, Speaker and World Traveler

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Subscribe to Kevin'sYouTube Channel

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

Competing in Digital Transformation and Mobility

The C suite must understand the battle they are fighting before they can develop and implement a winning digital transformation strategy. The commercial battlefield is data, and the effectiveness and speed of competitors’ information logistics systems will make all the difference. The C suite’s overall doctrine must be achieving information dominance in their target markets.

Information, however, is trivia unless it results in correct insights, which leads to right actions at the right time. In the book, The Principles of War for the Information Age, author Robert Leonard writes, “If I can develop and pursue my plan to defeat you faster than you can execute your plan to defeat me, then your plan is unimportant.” It’s not the ability to collect more data faster, or analyze it faster, it is the ability to understand and act on it faster. Businesses that can “understand and act with speed” will dominate those which are slower.

In mobile commerce, the ability to identify the mobile app user, recognize their preferences, understand the immediate context, and then to provide a personalized and contextually relevant experience fast enough to satisfy impatient mobile consumers is the winning formula. That is a difficult job, but offers competitive advantage opportunities! So the question is how can I achieve those competitive advantages?

The C suite must recognize speed advantages in information logistic systems; analytics, business operational tempos and decision-making will determine the winners of tomorrow’s digital era. Competition is now focused on optimizing information logistics systems (ILS). ILSs are all the systems involved in John Boyd’s OODA loop (observe, orient, decide and act). They include the following tasks:

Collecting data
Transmitting data
Securing data
Normalizing data
Storing data
Analyzing and reporting on the data
Understanding the meaning and impact of the data
Driving decisions based on the meaning of the data
Acting on the data (manual or automated) to achieve competitive advantages

Achieving speed in the first six steps can mostly be accomplished with technology upgrades and improvements, but in order to achieve speed in steps 7-9, it requires deep thinking that is codified in algorithms supported by automation. It requires augmenting humans with artificial intelligence, sophisticated algorithm-driven intelligent process automation (robotic software processes), and machine learning.

To achieve competitive advantages and speed in these steps requires an enterprise to move beyond “human time” and into the realm of “digital time.” Digital time can only be achieved with the augmentation of robotic software processes that work far faster than humanly possible. When your mobile app is accessed by millions of users and the numbers of data transactions explode, supporting those apps in real-time requires automation and augmentation, i.e. algorithms.

************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Writer, Speaker, Analyst and World Traveler

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Subscribe to Kevin'sYouTube Channel

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

Digital Transformation and Mobility - Macro-Forces and Timing

Economies are changing. Industries are changing. Markets are changing. Consumers are changing and shopping differently. As competitive advantages evolve into market standards, areas of competition move. Today we see fields of competition move to data utilization and digital transformation initiatives. When considering how your company needs to digitally transform, there are three very important questions to ask:

How am I defining digital transformation?
What is motivating me to digitally transform?
Why should I digitally transform now?

As a definition for digital transformation I use - rethinking, redesigning and restructuring technology and business models to more quickly and effectively respond to and engage employees, partners and customers in digital environments.

To answer the questions about motivation, I propose there are eight key forces at work today that are motivating digital transformation:

Real-time mobile apps and data
Real-time sensor data (IoT)
Real-time analytics
Real-time situational awareness
Real-time business operational tempos
Real-time intelligent process automation
Real-time contextual understanding
Real-time personalization of user experiences

There is an obvious theme here, “real-time.” Real-time, as a mainstream requirement, first gained importance with the advent of the Internet and e-commerce, and then exponentially increased in importance when mobile devices connected to the Internet. Today mobile commerce represents 34% of the global e-commerce market, but by 2018 it is expected to represent 47% and these consumers are impatient. These consumers are mobile, and the context of their mobile searches and app usage changes second by second as they move throughout their day. Real-time context is key to a successful user experience in this environment, and businesses with consumer facing mobile apps need to be moving toward real-time now. That is not easy.

As competition increases and the sophistication of mobile apps grow, so also does consumer expectations. Today mobile apps needed to be personalized in real-time, contextually relevant, and mobile payments and wallets supported. These requirements break IT. Traditional IT environments are not meant for such speeds. Business processes are not designed for real-time operational tempos. Humans are not capable of scaling up to process, analyze and understand millions of data transactions daily.

As businesses recognize “real-time” requirements are not going away, and that “real-time” is mandatory to compete, they must take inventory of their existing IT environments and take the necessary steps to digitally transform.

Today’s competition takes place around data and speed. The winners of a digital tomorrow will invest in five key areas:

becoming a data-driven business
improving the quality and speed of their information logistics systems
achieving real-time operational tempos
redesigning and rearchitecting for business agility
utilizing real-time contextually relevant data to personalize digital user experiences

Businesses must recognize the demand for real-time operational tempos is only going to increase and this requires strategy, action and a budget.

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
************************************************************************

Kevin Benedict

Writer, Speaker, Analyst and World Traveler

View my profile on LinkedIn

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Subscribe to Kevin'sYouTube Channel

Join the Linkedin Group Strategic Enterprise Mobility

Join the Google+ Community Mobile Enterprise Strategies

Kevin Benedict Ponders the Future

15 Rules for Winning in Digital Transformation and the Doctrine to Match

The Latest Mobile & Digital Expert Interviews by Kevin Benedict

The End Goal of Digital Transformation

Surviving the Three Ages of Digital Transformation

Digital Transformation Expert Interviews: SAP's Ken Tsai

The Impact of Digital Transformation

Forces Driving the Digital Transformation Era

A Digital Transformation Doctrine is Required

Digital Transformation - A Revolution in Precision Through IoT, Mobility and Analytics

Competing in Digital Transformation and Mobility

Digital Transformation and Mobility - Macro-Forces and Timing

Interviews with Kevin Benedict

Get new posts by email: