February 20169 The old artificial boundaries betweenthe business and IT have outlived their usefulness, as thesedivisions just create structural rigidities within the organization. The emerging language of the digital enterprise is more about breaking down internal boundaries and driving organizational agility. A good example is the increasing use of the phrase "a shared line of sight to the customer". The objective is to ensure all managers involved in a particular initiative share the same direct line of sight, without relying on someone else to translate customer/business requirements.Digital innovation can only happen if the expertise of each manager is informed by their direct understanding of actual customer needs.There is a need to drive both efficiency and effectivenessIn many organizations, the traditional IT role can be a thankless task. Hemmed in by growing expectations, shrinking budgets and a diminishing tolerance for failure, some CIOs have opted to circle the wagons to defend their budgetsbyenforcing the rules of procurement and project management. However, the pursuit of cost efficiency in isolation makes no sense. There is little value in enforcing rules that find the most efficient way to deliver the wrong answer. Shadow IT should not be viewed so much as a corporate problem, but as frustrated innovation looking for leadership.Think big, start small, iterate fastWhen contemplating a digital agenda, many organizations get stuck at the beginning, frozen by the complexity of the task ahead. The solution is to start small, picking low-risk initiatives that have a positive impact on customers. Future successcan then be built on a foundation of proven success. It is time to limit the number of big projects. Success is measured by timely outcomes delivered to the customer, not by the size of the project. In the past, big projects were considered to be a badge of honor on an executive resume. However, big projects now come with a lot of unwanted baggage. Today, many successful managers are resisting the temptation to create big, long-running projects, and are concentrating on short, tightly focused initiatives that deliver measurable outcomes. The key challenge is not deciding what to do, but what not to do. Scope creep is the digital executive's worst enemy.Project governance is traditionally built upon the principle of releasing fully functional systems, complete with as many optional features as possible. However, the emerging theory is heavily influenced by mobile apps. These start with a minimum viable product and then iterate quickly with updates that deliver increased functionality. The big advantage of this approach is the ability to leverage organizational learning by listening to customer feedback after each release. In a digital world, it is all about the customer. Digital transformation is born out of generational change in both the workplace and in the wider communityKevin Noonan
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