Technical Viability in the Digital Transformation Age

(yes, a dash of link bait-involved – but which??)

Who am I?

• Owner + Chief Engineer at Feature[23]

• We’re a software engineering + design + management consulting firm

• Philosophy of Software Engineering

• Insanely passionate about software engineering and its function within “line of business” application development.

Want to learn more?

Software is EVERYWHERE!

Want to learn more?

No, really, what is the topic?

Today’s topic is about the viability of your corporate strategy in the area of software engineering and custom application development.

And no, Scrum is not a strategy! Neither are .NET, Java or Ruby on Rails!!

And no, I don’t have this topic figured out. Yet.

Want to learn more?

By strategy, we mean…

You’re company’s ability to digest new technology paradigms, ideate solutions that make you a more efficient organization or produce/innovate products that increase your ability to compete in the marketplace.

How are you picking those products that get invested in, and how are you measuring the value of these decisions? Are your teams focused on the skills necessary for LONG TERM success, or are they simply concerned about the next release?

(Blue Ocean, The Lean Startup, Radical Management, Real Options, etc..)

Want to learn more?

Why this topic?

We’re seeing a gap between the strategy of the executive suite and the execution of those “in the trenches”. This is leading to the wrong investments.

Further, we’re witnessing several limiting factors wherein corporate engineers are not able to deliver on their full value proposition.

We’re talking about it today, because we believe it could be critical to your organization’s ability to survive and grow. And if you go, we go!

Want to learn more?

Challenges to the corporate software engineering value

proposition..and why they’re struggling to make headway alone!

Want to learn more?

Challenge – Technology is accessible and

EVERYWHERE!Everyone’s doing it

Want to learn more?

Challenge – “Tell me how you’ll measure me, and I’ll tell you how I’ll behave.”

Are your engineers being measured by real business value or engineering value??

Want to learn more?

Challenge – You’re not likely in “the business”

This puts them IMMEDIATELY at odds with their craft.

Want to learn more?

Challenge – GovernanceEnterprise Architecture, Zachman Framework, ITIL, etc..

Too much at times, Too little at others

Want to learn more?

Challenge - “We need innovation!”

CEO’s are now pushing CIO’s to innovate. But how???

Want to learn more?

Challenge - Too Many “Chiefs” in the kitchen

We have the Chief [Marketing | Information | Technology | Digital | Content | Social Media ] Officer

Want to learn more?

Where does software engineering fit in?

• Often lost in the shuffle between governance and management

• Who’s in charge?

• It should be governed by value delivery.

• Sometimes it’s about NOT writing code!

• We’re seeing a large increase in the ability for middle to upper manager (below CxO’s) to make decisions leading to new products.

Want to learn more?

How viable is your current technology strategy?

• Are you building technology based assets which increase your organization's value proposition?

• Are your teams plugged into the company’s goal/mission/vision?

• Do the leaders in your organization have a method for delivering on value that’s clear?

• Are there guidelines on evaluating the ROI of products, services or “glue tech”?

• Depending on where the lines are drawn, it could mean survival or a slow painful death.

Want to learn more?

What are we proposing?

• Build an internal “culture of creativity & innovation” – You’re going to need to think differently – FAST!

• Engineers WANT to solve problems.

• They’ll even work extra hours.

• Need more responsibility, not less

• You CAN attract the right talent

• Open Innovation

• Focused Partnerships• Toyota + Deming Style

• CHALLENGE YOUR SERVICE PROVIDERS!!

Want to learn more?

Why should you care about sorting this out?A new breed of entrepreneur has already arrived, and each new generation is arriving more quickly than the last.

• Remote by default (whole companies even)

• Little or no formal education in some cases

• Complete disregard for the rules (of MBA formalities OR governance)

• Care more about the work than the pay (yes, this is for real!)

• They’ll eat Ramen noodles for six months JUST to take a shot at it

• They believe deeply in their mission(s)

• They have a culture of collaboration & sharing (a form of open innovation!)

• No governance, rules or restrictions (also a bad thing)

…they may only steal your talent

Want to learn more?

What is the cost of doing nothing?

Deming + Senge + Christensen + Drucker

…many, many others you should listen to!

Want to learn more?