Operational Excellence
[1] Strategy and fundamentals
[1] What are business operations- overview with examples in different industries
[2] Business Operations - why you need it, and why eventually you won’t Business Operations (Bizops for short) has inexorably become a thing at certain kinds of companies.
[3] Guide for successful business operations All organisations, regardless of industry, size, or maturity, have a set of foundational activities required to run the business — often called business operations. Successfully managing your business operations requires juggling many moving parts across multiple groups. You need diligent maintenance, well-informed strategic planning, and disciplined execution to succeed.
[4] Product Process Matrix- overview of this method of analysing operations, originally credited to Hayes & Wheelwright and published in HBR.
[5] Fundamentals of Beyond Default- 2.5 minute video with the authors explaining the term ‘default future’. The page includes links to other short videos by the authors explaining different aspects of their book.
[6] Beyond Default- contemporary approach to strategy and change by David Trafford & Peter Boggis based on the belief that the purpose of strategy is to change the trajectory of an organisation, from one taking it to its ‘default future’ to one that takes it to an improved future. The default future of your organisation is the place it will end up if no action is taken, other than that currently planned.
[7] How information gives you competitive advantage- written by Michael Porter & Victor Millar in 1985 provides the basis for modern strategic thinking and information driven change.
[8] ATOS Outlook 2020 / Tech Trends- ATOS’ keywords are digital transformation, innovation and value creation, both for our own company and for our clients. Their technology radar (at the link) is a powerful way of visualising the impact of technology on organisations within different time horizons.
[9] Gartner’s Hype Cycle- a powerful way of visualising the evolution of new technology enabled business. I have been a big fan of this methodology since the early 1990s and seen it work in practice for a range of new technology from wireless e-business through cloud computing to blockchain.
[10] Horizon Scanning(GOV.UK) describing how this powerful method should be used in practice through a’Ten Commandments’ approach.
[2] Industry 4.0
[1] What is industry 4.0? (Forbes) - a super easy explanation (website and video)
[2] What it means, how to respond (WEF) The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means, how to respond. Embedded (inspirational) video is at this link.
[3] WEF Global Intelligence(WEF) website of Industry 4.0 resources
[4] Digital Transformation Revolution(Medium) The Digital Technology Transformation
[5] Fourth Industrial Revolution - practices, opportunities, challenges (Petrillo et al) academic paper explaining how globalisation and competitiveness are forcing companies to rethink and to innovate their production processes following the so-called Industry 4.0 paradigm.
[6] Challenges (Deloitte) Industry 4.0 challenges and solutions for the digital transformation and use of exponential technologies
[7] Industry 4.0 and Humanity 4.0 (TED Talks, 2018) short TED style lecture outlining Industry 4.0 from opportunities and challenges viewpoint.
[8] What is Industry 4.0 and what does it mean for you? (University of Derby, 2019) - short 2 minute video introducing the topic. Easy to understand overview.
[9] What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution?The “Fourth Industrial Revolution” is a common phrase at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. But what exactly does it mean? CNBC’s Elizabeth Schulze explains.
[10] Industry 4.0: how intelligent machines will transform everything we know (TED, 2015) -The fourth industrial revolution is upon us: machines infused with intelligence. This transformation will transform how manufacturing works today, making it 30% faster and 25% cheaper because a machine will know when it makes a mistake and will correct itself.
[11] What Is Industry 4.0 and How Did We Get Here? Lengthy video (1hour 16) of lecture from MIT associated organisation giving thorough explanation of subject.
[12] What is Industry 4.0? (IBM) - the company’s point of view and solution set with some thought provoking case studies.
[3] Process and Information
[1] Business Process Management - useful but short three-minute overview video.
[2] process.st-Top 10 business processes - handy guide / checklist to the team common processes with checklists for what to expect from them.
[3] DTHR - Process modelling and mapping- 11 page practical guide covering the basic principles of BPM at an accessible and useful level.
[4] Svitla – Data vs information– explaining these two interrelated concepts which form the cornerstone of valuable insights that drive intelligent decisions and successful outcomes for businesses and organizations alike.
[5] Cambridge Exam Board -Data, information, knowledge– a short document designed for technology students providing the best explanation I’ve found on this topic.
[6] Smartsheet - Information management strategies- information management (IM) is making sure that the right people have the right information at the right time. This document explains what’s needed to make this happen.
[7] UWE - Logical data structures- handy overview of how to build them containing the technical detail to start building information (data) structure diagrams.
[8] CMMI - Data Management Maturity Model- 53 page presentation describing the goal and realisation of the maturity model
[9] Credera - Data modelling explained(in 10 mins or less) - short description of this important technique with some useful examples.
[10] Oracle – What is data management? – explaining the broad range of tasks, policies, procedures, and practices involved with managing digital data in an organisation.
[11] Big data - a CERN oriented view - captured in a 4 minute long animated TED talk - explaining the the history of big data
[12] Big data, small farms and a tale of two tomatoes - 15 minute TED talk from Erin Baumgartner (ex. MIT) outlining projects that embrace big data and its usage to solve business problems.
[13] Fundamentals of Data Management - SAS website-based work book explaining the practice of managing data as a valuable resource to unlock its potential for an organisation.
[14] What is your data strategy? - short article from HBR published in 2017 exploring the value that data can drive in business.
[15] What is data management? - web article from business.com explaining how every business relies on data, and data management allows businesses to better organise and access the information gathered across a wide range of software solutions.
[16] What is data governance? - Web resource - including two minute video - explaining the value in the process of managing the availability, usability, integrity and security of data in enterprise systems, based on internal data standards and policies that also control data usage.
[17] Developing a data strategy - 10 minute video from a rather modest gentleman explaining the seven steps to building a data strategy. Roll forward to 1:30 to skip (most of) the sales pitch! If you prefer a structured, text-based explanation of the same material, visit this Forbes website.
[4] Case Studies
[1] Novus Propery Solutions - case study subject
[2] NOAA Case Study [2018] - the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) makes more than 68,000 collected datasets available over AWS Cloud.
[3] Trust Chain Jewellery - a game changer for the jewellery industry based on the transformational effect blockchain will have on the gold and diamond industry. This is collaboration among responsible and ethical organisations across the jewellery industry, supported by governance and guidance.
[4] DubaiNow App - the app for all your Dubai city services giving access over 85 city services including bill payments, fuel top ups, car registration renewals, flight tracking.“How to” guide from Gulf News. Shortcase studyfromdubaipulse
[5] Dark Trace - application of artificial intelligence - specifically machine learning - to the cyber defence challenge.
[6] Agile way of working at ING Belgium - the major European bank's implementation of an agile way of working to deal with customer demands more quickly. This new way of working (in squads/tribes and chapters) gives the teams end-to-end responsibility for a customer functionality.
[7] Spotify Engineering Culture - 13 minute video explaining how Spotify modified agile development to meet their rapid development needs and embedded this into their organisational culture. Here’s the second part extending to people management.
[5] Leadership, culture and change
[1] People and Organisational Culture - the development and usage of the organisational culture profile.
[2] 5 TED Talks to Inspire Great Company Culture – exploring different aspects of culture.
[3] Measuring Culture - 18-page eBook with contributions from several authors.
[4] 10 culture metrics you should be tracking - how company culture determines how things get done.
[5] Defining a digital culture – case study-centric paper.
[6] Digital transformation challenges - a systematic literature review.
[7] The role of culture in digital transformation - explores how organisations work through a digital transformation.
[8] The nine elements of digital transformation - how managers can use technology to redefine their businesses.
[9] Growth mindset behaviours - building a culture that delivers better business outcomes’.
[10] How to drive cultural change - three integral steps businesses can take to drive company change.
[11] Understanding the agile mindset - contrasting this to bureaucratic mindset common in some organisation.
[12] EAST Four simple ways to apply behavioural insights - how behaviour can be changed.
[13] The power of believing you can improve - 10 minute TED Talk Prof. Carol Dweck.
[14] Life begins at the end of your comfort zone - 9 minute TED talk power of moving beyond your comfort zone.
[15] Leadership in digital transformation (infographic) - why leadership in digital transformation processes is so important.
[16] Leadership in the digital era - includes Prof. Dweck’s mindset framework at the centre of making leaders more effective.
[17] Digital success requires a digital culture (McKinsey) - suggesting three pragmatic steps to overcome culture barriers to being digital.
[18] Trickle down effect of good (and bad) leadership - HBR article about this powerful yet often under-rated effect.
[6] Transformation
[1] Why I don’t like the term‘Digital Transformation' - how a well formulated, comprehensively communicated organisational strategy is a vital underpinning of digital transformation.
[2] A structured, agile approach to digital transformation - my recommended approach to the change process [http://bit.ly/AgileTx]
[3] Digital Transformation - tech is the easy part - considering the human side of digital transformation and the need for excellent teamwork to guide the process.
[4] Foundations of digital transformation - explaining the ‘prepare’ and ‘horizon scan’ steps to get the transformation off to the best possible start.
[5] Horizon scanning: a practitioner’s guide – 23 page PDF document produced by the Institute of Risk Management’s innovation special interest group offers a guide to the method, sources and stakeholder feedback.
[6] Emerging risk management and horizon scanning – open learning module from the UK Open University exploring the relationship between these topics.
[7] UK Open University Computing Modules – 366 modules (some are free) covering the technology landscape.
[8] How to build your creative confidence – 11 minute TED talk from David Kelly (IDEO, Stanford) one of the thought leaders in design thinking
[9] Speed up innovation with design thinking – 13 minute TED talk from Guido Stompff describing how design thinking can kickstart the innovation process.
[10] What to Know When Planning System Integration – technical overview of different types of integration and technologies can be used.
[11] REST versus SOAP - what’s the difference? - (technical) blog post helping with this important software integration choice.
[21] Cyber security design principles – web page of advice from UK NCSC on secure by design
[13] Agile development and non-functional requirements – web page setting out how non-functional requirements impact the key elements of an agile development.
[14] Non-functional Requirements: Examples, Types, How to Approach – an easy to read web page explaining NFRs and how to approach the important choices that need to be made.
[15] Non-functional Requirements (University of Toronto) - understanding, setting and testing NFRs.
[16] TED talks on cyber security – 63 TED talks covering different aspects of this important topic.
[17] Five factors - build vs buy – a pragmatic short guide to this important decision!
[18] Pros and Cons of Agile and Waterfall – comparing and contrasting the two development methods with balanced advice on their merits and usage.
[19] Agile versus Waterfall – 9 minute video explaining the three most impactful differences.
[20] Common Risks in Agile Projects and How to Deal with Them – easy to understand web page discussing the main risks in agile development with practical suggestions for their mitigation.
[21] How fragile is your agile – report by Deloitte outlining the six most common pitfalls of agile and how they can be avoided.
[22] Being agile in a non-agile place – 13 minute TED talk answering the question ‘Is it possible for a disruptive and potentially game changing start-up to take root inside a giant corporation?’
[23] Lead like the great conductors – 20 minute TED talk on what project managers can learn from six great 20th century conductors.
[24] As work gets more complex, six rules to simplify – 12 minute TED talk on reducing complexities.
[25] The puzzle of motivation – 18 minute TED talk on sustaining a healthy team.
[7] Driving change
[1] How to build your creative confidence – 11 minute TED talk from David Kelly (IDEO, Stanford) one of the thought leaders in design thinking
[2] Speed up innovation with design thinking – 13 minute TED talk from Guido Stompff describing how design thinking can kickstart the innovation process.
[3] What to Know When Planning System Integration – technical overview of different types of integration and technologies can be used.
[4] REST versus SOAP - what’s the difference? - (technical) blog post helping with this important software integration choice.
[5] Cyber security design principles – web page of advice from UK NCSC on secure by design
[6] Agile development and non-functional requirements – web page setting out how non-functional requirements impact the key elements of an agile development.
[7] Pros and Cons of Agile and Waterfall – comparing and contrasting the two development methods with balanced advice on their merits and usage.
[8] Agile versus Waterfall – 9 minute video explaining the three most impactful differences.
[9] Common Risks in Agile Projects and How to Deal with Them – easy to understand web page discussing the main risks in agile development with practical suggestions for their mitigation.
[10] How fragile is your agile – report by Deloitte outlining the six most common pitfalls of agile and how they can be avoided.
[11] Being agile in a non-agile place – 13 minute TED talk answering the question ‘Is it possible for a disruptive and potentially game changing start-up to take root inside a giant corporation?’
[12] Introduction to agile - a five and a half minute animated graphics video contrasting agile with traditional waterfall development.
[13] What is agile? - this short cartoon answers the question "What Is Agile?" and will give you the background to understand the Agile principles and values and how they can help you and your team work together more efficiently.
[14] Agile project management - monologue (but clear and understandable) contrasting agile with waterfall project management.
[15] Agile vs Waterfall: the 3 most impactful differences - VLOG with Ashley Hunt explains the core differences.
[16] Agile product ownership in a nutshell - 15 minute animation explaining how agile works. It takes a product owner viewpoint, but useful to anyone wanting to understand the process.
[17] Lead like the great conductors – 20 minute TED talk on what project managers can learn from six great 20th century conductors.
[18] As work gets more complex, six rules to simplify – 12 minute TED talk on reducing complexities.
[19] The puzzle of motivation – 18 minute TED talk on sustaining a healthy team.
[8] Supply chain
[1] Who can you trust? - book by Rachel Botsman on building trust in a distributed world.
[2] Blockchain and it’s impact on actors in a supply chain - excellent MSc dissertation by Robbie Moulding (who I had the pleasure of supervising in 2019) with an impressive body of work and reference list on this fascinating topic [http://bit.ly/RLMBlockSupply]
[3] Supply Chain Management Use Case - or ‘blockchain, where’s my stuff?’. Supply chain management is the most popular, cross industry use case for blockchain. This blog post outlines the challenge and explains how blockchain can help.
[4] TradeLens - Blockchain enabled eco-system formed to transform container logistics by freeing yourself from legacy data systems, manual document handling and poor visibility.
[5] UCC Coffee - UK’s first farmer connect blockchain partnership digital traceability tool powered by IBM Blockchain technology strengthens UCC's commitment to sustainability.
[6] IBM Food Trust - use of blockchain to improve traceability of food from ‘farm to fork’. Based on Walmart project.
[9] Automation
[1] The art of automation - book from IBM providing leaders with an understanding of how AI-powered automation can hyper-accelerate digital transformation.
[2] Mayflower: pushing the power of autonomous navigation - the maritime research vessel Mayflower Autonomous Ship is a first-of its-kind autonomous ship — and IBM technology played a central role in bringing it to life.
[3] The evolution of process automation - IBM’s Institute of Business Value explain how intelligent automation can change how work gets done, but organisations need to balance operational efficiencies with evolutionary workforce changes. Written in 2017 and NOT one of IBV’s best . . .!
[4] Robotic process automation - (aka software robotics) using software robots to automate tasks performed by humans such as extracting data, filling in forms, moving files etc.
[5] What is an autonomous car? - an autonomous car is a vehicle capable of sensing its environment and operating without human involvement. This interesting short tutorial web page describes the different levels of automation and the challenges and benefits associated with getting to the higher levels.
[6] How do self driving cars ‘see’? - 5 minute animated TED talk explaining the technologies involved in making the seemingly impossible possible!
[7] Integrating Robotic Process Automation into Business Process Management - academic paper exploring the benefits of combining the two powerful approaches.
[8] One hundred year study on Artificial Intelligence (AI100) - Stanford University has invited leading thinkers from several institutions to begin a 100-year effort to study and anticipate how the effects of artificial intelligence will ripple through every aspect of how people work, live and play. This site documents the study including publishing it’s research findings.
[9] Machine & Deep Learning Compendium - a gateway, as a frequently visited resource for people of various proficiency levels, for industry data scientists, and academics. The compendium will save you countless hours googling and sifting through articles that may not give you any value.
http://bit.ly/SPDOpEx