Program Objectives

The following list represents the Key Program Objectives (KPO) for the Appleton Greene Leading IT Transformation corporate training program.

Leading IT Transformation – Part 1- Year 1Appleton Greene

  1. Part 1 Month 1 90-Day Plan – The very first step in the journey towards leading IT transformation in an organization is creating a plan. This will be the first step in this corporate training program as well. The first session in this 2-year program will discuss how to create a fixed plan, spanning over 90 days, can be created. This 90-day plan for leading IT transformation in the organization will include all the next steps that have to be taken within this 90-day duration. These include an assessment of the current state, which will cover the first 30 days. The next step in the plan is creating a design for the future state, covering days 31 to 60. After this, the plan will require developing a realistic Transformation Roadmap from day number 61 to 90. At this point, the planning for the IT transformation is completed and the next stage will involve the development of this plan into actionable steps, implementation of these steps, and finally reviewing the progress and effectiveness of the transformation. This 90-day plan will be the foundation of the entire IT transformation program, setting the guidelines and defining the path that the process will take. All the necessary insights on the current state of IT implementation in the organization, the gaps in the technology, and the scopes for improvement or up-gradation will be uncovered based on which the next steps can be decided. The Transformation Roadmap created with the help of these insights will specify every crucial activity that needs to be undertaken to reach the future state envisioned.
  2. Part 1 Month 2 Current-State Assessment – The first 30 days of the 90-day plan will be focused on current-state assessment. To understand what the business already has and where it is lacking in terms of IT or digital technology, it is important to carry out a thorough assessment of the current business state. Only when we know where we are starting from will we be able to map out the path to the future goal that we want to attain. A current-state assessment for IT transformation will have to take into account all aspects of the business. It has to evaluate the current processes, systems, and operations in the business. The current-state assessment will also study the organization’s structure, culture, and approach towards change. The assessment will also review the roles of the different people working in the organization in an attempt to see how their skills can be better utilized and if some reshuffling can benefit the transformation process. This current-state assessment will bring forward the opportunities for improvement and pain points that need to be addressed during the IT transformation program. One of the major reasons for failure in IT transformation projects is that companies do not review their current state and assume that the existing technology can simply be migrated to a new platform, or new technology can directly be implemented to improve the efficiency and productivity of the organization. This approach does not help because it does not tell what to prioritize or which areas require more attention. A complete current-state assessment helps make informed strategic decisions that ensure that the IT transformation will add more value to the organization.
  3. Part 1 Month 3 Future-State Design – Future-state design is another crucial part of the process of carrying out a successful IT transformation. While the current-state assessment tells us where we are at the moment, the future-state design is important because it tells us where we plan to go. There are two basic questions that form the foundation of the future-state design. The first question is, “What do we aim to achieve?” and the second is “How do we plan to get there?”. In working towards the IT transformation of an organization, there must be a goal. The people involved have to know what they are hoping to achieve with this initiative. That is what the answer to the first question gives us. What we aim to achieve is the goal that we set for the transformation program. After filling up the gaps in the current state and adopting new technology, where the organization hopes to stand at the end of the transformation process is the future-state. The answer to the second question – how do we plan to get there? – is what helps build the strategy for change. It sets the path that the organization needs to follow in order to achieve the goal. It builds a framework for the transformation process based on a clear vision, a purpose, the key transformations, operating principles, and so on. Using these two basic questions, the organization can create a vision for IT transformation and a roadmap to fulfill that vision. The future-state design uses research, design techniques, and business thinking to paint a vivid picture of what the business should be like in the future.
  4. Part 1 Month 4 Transformation Roadmap – When the future-state design is ready, the organization will need a plan of action. This plan of action is provided by the detailed Transformation Roadmap. The purpose of the Transformation Roadmap is to lay a strong foundation for the successful transition from the current-state to the future-state envisioned for the business. The roadmap defines and manages the digital transformation process and provides a structured path to follow, moving through the many projects needed to undergo the transformation.The creation of the Transformation Roadmap, indeed, starts from the time of the current-state assessment itself. The insights on the digital maturity of the business obtained from the assessment and the vision for the future-state help identify the gaps in the system and the steps required to fill those gaps can be defined in the roadmap. The Transformation Roadmap has different areas of focus. A digital transformation is generally divided into four tracks – people track, process track, technology track, and content track. The People Track deals with all the people involved in the business. This ranges from establishing a customer-centric approach to defining the role of business partners to laying a framework for cross-functional collaboration on employees in the organization. The Process Track defines how the efficiency of the processes in the organization can be improved and how the new digital business model can be made scalable with the help of these processes. The Technology Track focuses on integrating all the IT or digital platforms, which in turn helps to integrate the data across all layers of the organization. An integrated system allows all information management platforms to interact and drive growth through predictive analysis. The Content Track deals with all the internal information within the enterprise as well as the content facing the customers. The aim is to ensure quality and accuracy in both cases.
  5. Part 1 Month 5 Organizational Structure – The digital transformation of an organization is not just about adopting new technology, setting up an innovation lab, or moving to a new platform. There are a lot of organizational factors that affect how the transformation unfolds. One such important factor is the organizational structure. Digital transformation cannot be executed successfully if the organizational structure and the decision-making processes are not conducive to this change. For IT transformation to be successful, there has to be minimum friction and an acceptance to change. If the organization’s structure or culture does not contribute to the adoption of these changes or if there is a lack of information flow in the organization, there will be a mismatch between the expected outcome and the reality of the transformation initiative. So, it is important to take the organizational structure into account, understand how it approaches change, and realize what modifications in the structure would be necessary to implement the digital transformation process successfully. One common trait of organizations with a digital mindset is that authority is distributed among all levels. Senior leadership still hold their position as policymakers and set the vision and goals for the organization, but the technology and business teams are empowered to make decisions for successful implementation and smooth transition. Organizations that are too rigid about their processes or do not trust their employees’ decision-making capabilities limit the agility and growth of the transformation process and the organization as a whole. This also makes employees indifferent and even resistant to change. For successful transformation to a new digital landscape, teams have to be given ownership of their action plans and operations so that they can be fully, and willingly, involved.
  6. Part 1 Month 6 Program Management – IT transformation is not limited to a single department or a single business function. It usually involves and impacts several areas of business. People from multiple departments of the organization come together in teams to help with the digital transformation. Since This transformation has such a wide scope, there are generally several projects ongoing simultaneously covering different areas. Program management is the process of managing several such related projects with an aim to improve the efficiency of the digital transformation process. In IT transformation, there will always be certain projects that are interrelated or interdependent. Such related projects can be grouped into a single program. Say, one project deals with the design of the company website, and another team is working on creating content for the company’s online portal. Both of these projects would be closely related. So they can be clubbed into a program. Programs deliver ongoing outcomes, unlike projects that usually deliver a specific output. Program management is the management of all the related projects that make up the program. There are four key aspects of program management. To start with, it oversees complete governance of the projects such as defining the roles and responsibilities, processes, and metrics related to the projects. Next, it is supposed to manage the entire program monitoring the progress, conducting regular reviews, and ensuring stakeholders’ engagement. The third key aspect is cost management that tracks and controls the spending on a project. Lastly, it ensures that the available infrastructure supports the specific projects and the overall program.
  7. Part 1 Month 7 Change Leadership – Every new initiative requires good leadership. IT transformation is a challenging task and undergoing such a huge change in an organization requires efficient change leadership. Change leadership is a very important factor in deciding how successful and sustainable the transformation will be. Employees are often skeptical about, and even resistant to, change. Good change leadership is able to influence them positively and build enthusiasm. They generally use personal advocacy and a compelling vision to motivate others and build a robust platform for change. Change leaders are the ones who initiate the process. When they see an opportunity for improvement, they make a compelling business case and communicate the same to the employees. Only when employees see a common gain that benefits everyone in the organization will they be more engaged in the process and a good change leader understands this. After this, the change leader builds strategies for change and lays out a clear action plan that is communicated to all levels. Employees understand what they are working towards. The change leader also addresses questions and concerns to ensure that everyone is on the same page and the common goals, as well as success, are defined from the very beginning. Lastly, executing this strategy is the most challenging part for a change leader. Assigning the right people to the right tasks, breaking down big projects into smaller more attainable goals, developing metrics to measure progress and success, but at the same time trusting employees’ capabilities and giving them enough freedom to make decisions within their capacity is what execution requires. A good change leader is able to execute the transformation plan with minimum friction.
  8. Part 1 Month 8 Team Building – IT transformation of an organization is not a one-man show. It requires the combined effort of different people from different functional areas of the organization. People with unique skill sets have to come together for the transformation to be effective and sustainable. Although digital transformation is about the deployment of new technology or migrating the existing system to a new platform, it requires more than just technical knowledge. Since digital transformation has an impact on different areas of the business, it also requires people from the business side to work on the implementation. That is why building a cross-functional team is essential for the IT transformation program. The digital transformation team often has to include people from both within and outside the organization. The internal resources of the team include the right mix of people from within the organization. This will be the core team working on the transformation and should consist of people from the technical side, finance side, and the business side as well. Quite often the teams are heavier on the technical side with little to no inputs from the business sector. There may also be disagreements or friction between the members from different departments working in the same team. These issues may slow down the transformation process and must be addressed by the leadership. Apart from the internal members, the transformation should also work with the partner resources. These include technology partners who will help with the deployment of technology. System integrators are an important part of the digital transformation team and they are the bridge between the technology solutions adopted and their successful implementation. Critical members who will be especially helpful to the program should be chosen based on the skills and experience.
  9. Part 1 Month 9 Effective Communications – Like all other business processes, in IT transformation too communication is key. IT transformation is usually a huge change for an organization and getting everyone aligned on the task is quite challenging. There are various people involved and for the transition to be seamless, everyone must be aware of what the final goal is or what the action plan is. This is only possible with effective communication. People are, in general, resistant to change. Employees in an organization tend to become comfortable in the current state and find it hard to understand why a transformation is necessary unless it has been clearly explained. They must know why they need to work for this change and how it is going to positively affect them. Moreover, it is not just the people on the digital transformation team that need to adapt to the change but all other employees who will gradually become a part of it. So it is important to have a strong strategy for effective communication within the company. There should be a multi-channel approach to communication so that everyone can be reached on their preferred communication channels. Companies need to use their intranet, emails, messaging apps, employee portals, websites, or any other channel possible to share important updates. The company culture should also evolve to support effective communication. Information should flow in all directions. Important updates in strategy or policies should be clearly communicated by the leadership, while employees should convey their concerns and challenges so the leadership can work on them. There should be enough authoritative resources for the employees to learn from. Also, technical teams should avoid using complex technical language so that everyone is able to understand their messages. These are some signs of a good communication strategy. Effective communication is able to improve employee engagement and, thus, increase productivity.
  10. Part 1 Month 10 Meaningful Metrics – The IT transformation process needs to be monitored and measured for success. Based on what goals have been set for the transformation program, some relevant metrics have to be chosen which can clearly indicate how the digital transformation has progressed and whether it has delivered the desired outputs. It is important to focus on the world ‘relevant’ here. Not everything that can be measured is worth measuring. The true picture will only be reflected by some key performance indicators. There can be various ways to assess the progress and success of the IT transformation program. For instance, if a new software product has been procured, its success or progress can be measured in terms of the number of employees using the software in their day-to-day work as compared to the number of licenses purchased. Or if the goal of the digital transformation program was to eliminate repetitive tasks by automating certain portions, the KPI for measurement of success can be the amount of time saved on those tasks after the implementation of the technology. If the aim is to increase profits, the KPI could be the amount of revenue generated against the investment that went into the digital transformation. So, the metrics for measuring the progress or success of the program can be divided into different categories, such as productivity indicators, return on investment, customer focus, scope and limitations of usability, and so on. In order to choose the right meaningful metrics, it is important to know what is being measured, what is the goal set, what is the desired business outcome, and what is the balance point. Sometimes a lower KPI may also indicate success because the balance point decides what the optimum investment in IT transformation should be and overdoing it might actually be a loss.
  11. Part 1 Month 11 Sourcing Strategies – Most organizations rely on external technology providers for procuring the IT solutions the business needs. There are hundreds of technology providers in the market offering the same kind of solutions with the same features and deciding which product to choose or which vendor to go for can be quite a tedious task. That is where the sourcing strategies of the organization comes in handy. Strategic procurement or sourcing not only helps businesses gain a competitive advantage but also helps them manage third-party relationships and mitigate risks. Strategic sourcing provides a framework to make the sourcing of technology more efficient by laying clear guidelines for the planning, ordering, receiving, invoicing, and payment processes. Sourcing strategies are also meant to define how much the organization should spend on procurement. It should include market research to give a clear understanding of the supplier market and lay down well-defined guidelines for supplier selection. Thus, some of the key steps in building a sourcing strategy include: Assessing the company’s current spending on technology; Researching the supplier market; Picking up suitable suppliers for the project; Calculating the risks and costs involved; Negotiating with the chosen suppliers; Contracting the new suppliers; Reviewing and tracking to ensure desired output is achieved. Having a good sourcing strategy for the digital transformation program ensures that the spending on procurement is controlled, supplier relationships are maintained, and quality products and services are chosen. The sourcing strategy must be optimized by taking into consideration the different procurements inputs and comparing how they meet the company’s sourcing goals.
  12. Part 1 Month 12 Vendor Evaluation – Vendor evaluation is one aspect of the sourcing strategy itself. Vendor evaluation is done to ensure that a good portfolio of suppliers is available for use in the transformation program. Vendor evaluation can also be applied to current suppliers in order to monitor and measure their performance. It is essential for decreasing costs, minimizing risk as well as for the continuous improvement of the process. Vendor audits must be undertaken from time to time in an organization as there is always a need for quality control in the technology market. Vendors are required to deliver the same quality of products and services as agreed in the contract. Continuous vendor evaluations ensure that they comply with these quality standards. Particularly in the case of a new project or a new procurement, vendor evaluation is absolutely essential. It helps in determining whether a prospective vendor will be able to meet the organizational standards and the specific requirements of the digital transformation project undertaken. The goal is to choose a low-risk vendor that offers the best-in-class products or services. There are many important factors to consider when choosing a vendor for a particular project. Apart from the quality of product or service, there may also be legal risks involved such as regulatory compliance requirements or cybersecurity risks. Proper vendor assessment help in mitigating these and similar risks reducing the liabilities on the organization. Vendor evaluation can be done on many different criteria. If the vendor evaluation is being done for a new product, competitive selection can be done by comparing the features and services offered by different vendors and choosing the one that best suits the project requirements. Vendor evaluation can also be done by separately scoring individual vendors on different factors, such as price, features, reliability in delivery, and so on, and then comparing the scores to choose the highest scoring vendor.

Leading IT Transformation – Part 2- Year 2Appleton Greene

  1. Part 2 Month 1 Vendor Selection – Vendor selection is just as important a business process as all other strategic processes in the IT transformation program. The sourcing strategy of an organization, or the specific program, should usually lay out the terms and conditions of vendor selection as well. During the vendor evaluation stage, we have already assessed the prospective vendors and documented the results, be it through comparative analysis or by scoring individual vendors. That information can now be used for vendor selection. The vendor evaluation process gives a portfolio of prospective vendors that seem to be promising. During vendor selection, it is time to verify and ensure that the evaluation is correct and the preferred vendor will be able to meet the organization’s needs. This is very similar to recruiting a new employee, where we first evaluate their CVs and then conduct interviews to see if they will fit the role as expected. Vendor selection also follows a very similar process. The first step in vendor selection is shortlisting. Potential vendors are shortlisted based on the evaluation and ranking of the proposals received. Usually, the top-ranking vendors whose solutions meet most of the technical requirements of the project team and other stakeholders are called. The next step involves a product demo. The demo gives an opportunity to see how the product works and whether it will fit the needs of the organization. After this, the final list of prospective vendors is created based on all the information from the initial evaluation to the demo notes. And finally, after weighing the pros and cons the vendor selection is done.
  2. Part 2 Month 2 Contract Negotiation – After vendor selection is done, a contract has to be signed to formalize the terms of the agreement. But before a contract is finalized, there is generally a process of contract negotiation where both parties discuss and smooth out all the details of the contract. It is important for parties involved in a contract to understand their rights as well as obligations. The expected services and the compensation against those services should be clearly defined. All stakeholders should be in agreement with the terms of the contract. Only when these and other conditions are satisfied, can a contract be considered successful. This is what contract negotiation ensures. Negotiation of the terms of a contract should take into account all of the above points as well as other basic aspects of the agreement. Some of these aspects would be the price, quality, services offered, delivery, terms of payment, support, and any other crucial issues. Apart from these core factors, there are some other points of negotiation as well which ensure that the contract will work smoothly on application. For instance, the contract needs to define the KPIs to be used for vendor performance monitoring and the reporting methods. It should define the communication methods, invoicing methods, and delivery practices, including any system integrations that may be required from the vendor. The contract should also lay out the terms for dispute resolution and clearly name the contacts on both sides for such purpose. Any training or skill transfer requirements must also be agreed upon before finalizing the contract. A final critical component is to anticipate a possible future amicable “divorce”. The contract should clearly specify ownership of data, intellectual capital developed, customer relationships, how data will be transferred to a new vendor, transitioning knowledge, etc., if either party terminates the contract.
  3. Part 2 Month 3 Sourcing Transition – Often an organization may need to switch from one supplier to another. The existing supplier’s quality of service may be dipping or the technology product they’re offering no longer serves the business needs or the organization is growing and the supplier isn’t capable of scaling their services to keep up with it. Whatever be the reason, transitioning from one supplier to another is not easy. An organization should have a sourcing transition plan just as it needs a disaster recovery plan. When exiting a contract with a supplier, it is important to focus more on what the organization aims to achieve in the first place. When the goal is known, it becomes clear what the existing service provider is not able to offer. It also makes clear what the organization needs to seek in a new supplier or a new product. Ideally, a contract should take into account the changes that may come across in the organization in the future and it should prepare both parties to adapt to these changes and work together to achieve the required outcomes. But it is not always possible for the supplier to adapt and evolve. That is when a transition becomes necessary. A successful sourcing transition requires four key considerations: assessing the organization’s requirements, minimizing disruption during the transition, ensuring that any skills, knowledge, technology, or manpower lost in the transition are sufficiently replaced by the new supplier, and monitoring to ensure that the new suppliers are delivering the desired outcomes.
  4. Part 2 Month 4 Effective Partnerships – IT transformation of an organization does not just need suppliers or service providers. It needs strategic and effective partnerships that last and give the business a competitive advantage. IT transformation relies on technology partners for a lot of functions, starting from strategizing, planning, procurement, and deployment. Every organization may have different needs and based on those needs, partners have to be selected strategically. There are usually three main pillars supporting a partner ecosystem – development platform partners, technology partners, and implementation partners. The development platform partners are chosen based on what kind of a project the organization is working on. Platform vendors provide the development platform where all the applications will be built. Technology partners are the ones providing the hardware, software, SaaS, OEM, and other solutions. They have expertise in their respective domains and help add the desired feature to the applications. And lastly, the implementation partners are the system integrators who help deploy the applications and technology developed in the organization. Effective partnerships can make digital transformation much smoother. Picking partners that understand the business and how transformation works, partners who can work as a catalyst in making the IT transformation a success, is essential. Not just picking the right partners but building a relationship that benefits everyone is important as well. Partners need to work in close collaboration. Neither the organization nor the partners should focus on individual goals and self-interests but should work towards a common goal. Effective partnerships can make the transformation process more agile, flexible, and economical.
  5. Part 2 Month 5 Vendor Management – Vendor management refers to all the processes involved in managing and monitoring vendors and vendor relations. Vendor management practically starts from the time of vendor selection itself. It also includes contract negotiations, cost control, risk mitigation, and more. Vendor management is crucial to the IT transformation process because it helps identify opportunities for cost-saving, reduce the risk of disruption by ensuring that products and services are delivered on time and control the quality of service being delivered. Vendor management also helps build better vendor relations as communication flows freely in both directions and the needs of both parties are accounted for. Vendor selection and contract negotiation have already been discussed in the previous sections. The next important step in vendor management is vendor onboarding, which involves getting the required documentation and formalities done to get the services of the vendor started. This includes updating the payment information, contact information, reviewing vendor licenses, and fulfilling the tax and insurance formalities among other things. Vendor management also involves vendor performance monitoring where their performance is measured against some key performance indicators, which may be based on quality, delivery, scalability, and so on. The next important aspect is monitoring and managing risks that could impact the organization. Some examples are risks of non-compliance, cybersecurity issues, intellectual property issues, and so on. It is important to monitor that vendors are compliant and follow regulations. Vendor management also ensures that vendors are paid on time and in agreement with what has been finalized in the contract.
  6. Part 2 Month 6 IT-Package Evaluation – Procuring IT package solutions is the same as procuring any other resource for the business. It needs the same amount of research and evaluation to improve the returns on investment. Organizations usually go for a very objective IT-package evaluation which only focuses on whether the package has all the features to meet all the unique needs of the transformation program. A package that ticks all the boxes is considered suitable. But in the long run, other factors affect the quality of the purchase too. More subjective criteria such as user experience, which may vary from individual to individual, can also play an important role in determining whether the package is really delivering the desired outcome. The IT-package evaluation, thus, has to be balanced between objective and subjective criteria. Some of the common factors on which IT packages can be evaluated and judged include the cost, ease of installation, functionality of the software, software architecture, technical issues, integrability with other platforms and tools, and so on. The IT-package evaluation has to follow a pre-set process. It starts with identifying the requirements of the project, setting some goals for the functionality and performance of the software. Next, a competitive selection of packages must be carried out shortlisting only those vendors that are worth considering. The next step is product demos which help understand the features that the package provides and how they can be implemented. And finally, a technical evaluation that tells whether the software meets the company’s technical vision.
  7. Part 2 Month 7 Agile Practices – An agile methodology refers to practices that focus on continuous improvement, flexibility, increased productivity, and efficiency to accelerate the progress of a project or the organization as a whole. Adopting an agile methodology can help accelerate the digital transformation process by enabling significant improvements in the process and introducing innovative ways of achieving the desired results. Organizations that adopt agile practices are better at prioritizing their tasks, aligning their IT goals with their business goals, and improving measurability. All of these contribute to the success of an IT transformation program. Agile practices are also known to improve employee morale and reduce the risks in a project. Agile methodology recognizes that technology is not the only priority in IT transformation. Rather business value comes first. It is important to start the transformation process knowing why and how it will help add value to the business. The agile approach accepts and encourages change. It gives the process enough flexibility to test and switch if the business’ goals or priorities change at any point. Agile practices require continuous learning, collaborations, and improvements through small, incremental steps. It divided work into smaller, more productive sprints to ensure that every little goal achieved takes the team closer to the bigger goal. Agile practices also encourage better communication and transparency through daily updates and an efficient reporting system that makes it easy to track the progress. All these factors help in improving the quality of work and reducing the chances of failure, thus reducing the overall cost of the program.
  8. Part 2 Month 8 Implementing Kanban – Kanban is a method of workflow management that focuses on minimizing waste and maximizing efficiency. Kanban helps in visualizing the workflow in an organization or a project and helps identify roadblocks that are constricting the path of flow. In the IT transformation process too, Kanban can be sued to accelerate the process with maximum efficiency and achieve output faster. Implementing Kanban is relatively simple. To visualize the workflow, traditionally a Kanban board was used. There are different columns on the board that represent each stage of the workflow and some cards with each work item or task written on them. As a particular task is ready to be taken up, it is added to the board, and as it progresses the corresponding card also moves from one column to the next until the task is completed. The aim here is to improve the flow which means there should be no work getting stuck.
    Kanban works on a pull system. That means new work will only be pulled in when there is the capacity to accommodate that work. To achieve this, a limit is set on the work-in-progress column of the Kanban board, so only a specific number of cards should be on that column at a given time. New tasks, or cards, will only be added when there is an available slot. This helps improve the efficiency of the process, reduce the pressure on the team and identify any bottlenecks in the process. Today, there are several software and tools that help organizations implement Kanban effectively.
  9. Part 2 Month 9 Fine-tuning Kanban – The implementation of Kanban can be made more fruitful by fine-tuning the process and adding ways to monitor and measure the success of the method. The implementation of Kanban principles may seem easy but in practice, there may be many challenges that an organization faces. The Kanban method not only affects the program it is being applied but changes the way the entire organization works. Workflows from one desk to the next only when there is capacity. Products will be procured only when there is a need. These practices, though highly beneficial to the organization overall, may be hard to adopt for all employees. So training and knowledge sharing are important to ensure that all employees are able to recognize the real benefits of using the Kanban system. Once the system is rolling, it is also important to measure its progress and its impact. For this, certain metrics have to be chosen which can reflect how Kanban has improved the process. These metrics could be time-based, productivity-based, and so on. For example, the lead time and cycle time shows the average speed of a team on a task during a given time period. Improvements in the lead time and cycle time are indicative of improvements in the process. Another metric commonly used is Throughput, which gives the number of tasks finished with a given time period. Improvements in Throughput also indicate improvements in workflow. These and other metrics can help to continuously monitor the implementation of Kanban and measure its success.
  10. Part 2 Month 10 Implementing Scrum – Scrum is a framework for implementing an agile approach in an organization. The agile method focuses on quick response to change, short sprints of work, and incremental growth to ensure increased productivity. The agile method is characterized by iterative developments and Scrum is the ideal framework for organizations seeking to adopt an agile approach. Scrum helps in a project’s development by taking up small iterations that are repeated for every task until the final product is ready to be delivered. There are specific roles, events, and rules within the Scrum framework that must be followed by every member of the Scrum Team to ensure the success of Scrum. Implementation of Scrum requires a Scrum Team, which is managed by the Scrum Master. The role of the Scrum Master is to remove roadblocks and ensure compliance with the Scrum rules. There is also a Product Owner who is responsible for defining the requirements of the project, helping the team in the development of the project each day, and validating the deliveries. The Product Owner interacts with all the stakeholders of the project. The project is executed in short sprints and at the end of each sprint, an incremental version of the product is delivered until the final product or outcome is achieved. The project is distributed into sprints during the sprint planning meeting. There are daily meetings to review the status of activities and sprint review meetings to assess the results and deliveries at the end of each sprint, to see if they are within the expectation of the Product Owner.
  11. Part 2 Month 11 Fine-tuning Scrum – The Scrum framework is in itself a complete system and there is very little scope to change the basic elements of this framework. However, Scrum being a framework only provides the structure and some of the finer details can be decided upon by the internal teams. It does not necessarily have to tamper with the framework but rather find ways to implement it better by doing things a little differently. For example, the organization has the liberty to choose the Scrum Team. To ensure better implementation of Scrum, the Team should have some familiarity with Scrum as well as the transformation project undertaken. Another important step in fine-tuning the Scrum implementation in an organization is regularly revisiting the project’s goals and objectives and updating the Product Backlog. Daily Stand-up Meeting must be held with the Scrum Team to share updates on the progress and any hurdles faced in the execution of Scrum. Review and retrospection are also crucial to fine-tuning the Scrum framework. The deliverable of every sprint must be reviewed and the progress of the overall project needs to be measured regularly as well. To ensure that the Scrum implementation is on track, it is important to document all the inputs received during the daily and sprint review meetings. These discussions may often lead to suggestions on actionable improvements from the team members of stakeholders and these should be considered for application. It is also important to retrospect and document all the lessons learned during a project, which can be helpful in future projects.
  12. Part 2 Month 12 Servant Leadership – For a successful IT transformation, the importance of good leadership has already been emphasized in one of the previous sections. But what is even more useful than good leadership, is servant leadership. The philosophy of servant leadership puts the leader at the bottom of the hierarchy. In this philosophy, the role of the leader is to serve everyone else, starting from customers to employees. Instead of holding a position of authority and command, servant leaders put the employees’ needs ahead of their own. As the leader works with the team, on an equal footing, it helps boost employee morale, and performances are seen to soar. Servant leaders focus on empowering and uplifting the people working with them, instead of simply inspiring with words. All decisions that a servant leader takes are in the best interests of the team. He or she is empathetic and looks at situations from others’ perspectives to better understand the challenges. Servant leaders ensure that employees have all the necessary resources, training, and infrastructure to meet their objectives, thus ensuring that they can perform their best. A servant leader is a good listener and pays attention to what his or her team members have to say. He or she encourages communication and is receptive to their thoughts and concerns. Servant leaders are required to have foresight, persuasion skills, creative thinking, self-awareness, and other qualities that help them support their teams better. A servant leader can make the IT transformation process much faster and more efficient by driving employees to give their best and providing them an environment that nurtures growth.