All C-suite executives are now caught up in the digital disruption wave.
The wave has been something I have had the privilege of experiencing firsthand over the past three years. I am currently involved with a project in which the HR director is the most vocal supporter of changes in structure and employee profiles. Her motivation? The company becoming more digitally competitive. This is not a software firm. It is a large retailer with more than 28,000 employees.
However, the evidence for this change goes beyond anecdotal.
Fujitsu conducted a survey in 2016 and found that 98% of 1,180 global C-suite decision makers interviewed agreed that digital has disrupted their organization in some way.
Smaller, innovative companies are threatening large corporations. They can take quick decisions and make changes faster than larger corporations. These entrepreneurs are able to level the playing field in areas where their size used to prevent them from playing.
Small virtual e-commerce companies can now reach as many people online as brick and mortar stores. Large corporations are responding to these challenges by running large projects and looking to their PMOs to support these changes.
Executives show their support by making financial and time commitments. They are creating structures that will enable project teams to accelerate governance processes. This is why bi-modal IT and digital Fast Track or Fast Lane teams were created. Others have set up their own digital “Shark Tank” or innovation centers to address the need for more strategic change. They foster and cultivate new ideas to give them an edge.
How can PMO’s and project managers who are qualified and experienced use this support from the business to ensure faster turnaround and promote sound project management principles while also ensuring faster turnaround?
I believe that harnessing disruptive technologies in project management is the key to unlocking the potential of these technologies.
1. Use Cloud-Based Environments and Prototyping Tools to Create a Mini MVP
Products create outcomes, and outcomes bring benefits. This is something digitally savvy project managers are well aware of. They and their teams focus on building mini MVPs (minimum viable products) during the initiation phase of projects.
Teams can quickly create models of working code using CaseWare tools and rapid prototyping apps in just days. This allows them to present ideas to project steering boards. These tools can help uncover initial requirements, assumptions and risks, as well as constraints, at a fraction of the cost that was associated with older projects or when working with older technologies.
To test the viability and viability of ideas, Scrum teams have been using sprint zeros since the beginning. This is a time-limited event in which a small piece of the software is built before the official sprints begin. The DevOps industry has greatly improved by the wisdom of building small slices of code or working on miniature versions of applications.
Cloud-based platforms are not the only option. Freelance services can also be considered. Freelancer platforms allow project teams to set up and decommission teams within days or weeks. These services offer the human resources needed to quickly and cheaply build a prototype during the initiation phase. This is something that was simply not possible for past project managers.
2. Use digital technology to interact with stakeholders
During the initiation phase, test your prototype on staff or a small number of potential customers. Amazon and other companies are well-known for creating pilot projects and then rolling it out to employees as a test bed for planned pr.
