APR Nov/Dec 2022 - 44

» MANUFACTURING
»
Learnings
In the following few paragraphs, our key learnings are articulated
along the following three dimensions:3
including their delivery.
Strategy
To explore new areas, calculated risks must be taken: in our case, the
funding of the first embedded data science internship. In its context,
the creation of a starting portfolio was very important. This assembly
showed the needs of the department, as well as the skill sets required;
in addition, it secured buy-in from a variety of colleagues. We then
patiently focused on collaboratively fulfilling real needs together with
the beneficiaries. As the first projects were successfully delivered,
the whole approach acquired legitimacy. The expansion to a larger,
diversified portfolio with many different project partners must be
progressive to avoid spreading the effort and focus too thin. This
strategy showed success over time across the whole department.
People
A major focus area was the tight integration of the data scientist in
the department to improve bilateral understanding and identification
of business needs, as well as to facilitate communication in ongoing
projects. Finding a common language between project partners and
abstracting the discussions to the level of detail needed was crucial.
We managed culture change by designing a variety of communication
channels over the last three years. The data science activities thus
became well recognized in the department, and interest in the
initiation of new projects, as well as tool maintenance, increased a lot.
We learned that it is crucial to strengthen also the informal interaction
between data and natural scientists, as a key success factor to a
successful " Swarm " approach is the presence of open mindsets inside
the department that bring in ideas and contribute to the change of the
entire organization.
Project/delivery
Agreeing on a clear project scope is a critical step for a successful
project delivery. We ensured clarity through project charters and
up-front definition of work packages. To provide efficiency, but
also robustness, it is important to work in ways consistent with the
organization. Input gathering from other data scientists before
starting with the exact implementation gives options to adapt or
integrate into previously developed solutions, and ensures consistent
data formatting. We found scheduling regular check-ins with project
partners useful to involve them in the iterative development process
and ensured that expectations were met. Furthermore, user-friendly,
highly visual tools with pre-interpreted results and interactive features
are most easily accepted. In summary, the overall key to success is
sufficient planning effort, followed by fast prototyping and iterative,
co-creative development with parallel testing.
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Conclusion
strategy; people; and projects,
A successful digital transformation strategy comprises both bigger
top-down activities and emerging bottom-up projects. Our experience
shows that the latter are essential drivers to culture change. We
introduced the " Swarm " principle as a bottom-up approach designed
to maximize buy-in, by demonstrating early yet tangible value
throughout an organization in an agile manner.
The " Swarm " principle relies on local data scientists embedded in
operational functions to increase the bilateral understanding of
business needs and thus deliver many small collaborative projects.
Project management success factors are simplicity and efficiency,
facilitated by 1-slide project charters, good breakdown into work
packages, and living project documentation. The assembly and
analysis of a varied project portfolio ensured a strategic outlook.
As summarized in the previous section, our experiences have taught
us many lessons that will apply to other organizations in their own DT
journeys. Culture change requires patience and persistence, as well as
the commitment to continually deliver value to numerous partners.
Together with a collaborative approach and a focus on user-friendly,
interpretable tools, we are confident these elements will be helpful to
any DT champions.
The increase in the number of people engaging with the DT over the
years in our department demonstrates the high efficacy of the " Swarm "
approach in culture change. Our principle has also led to individual
personal development for us, thanks to different directions we have
sought to foster DT in. It can do so for the readers of this article as
well. As they search to identify the best opportunities to harness the
power of machines to human and societal questions, the words of
Cordwainer Smith still hold true: " There is no all-purpose computer
built that weighs as little as a hundred and fifty pounds. You do. " 22
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https://www.weforum.org/press/2016/01/100-trillion-by-2025-the-digital-dividend-for-society-and-business/ https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/industry-four-point-o-how-to-navigae-the-digitization-of-the-manufacturing-sector https://hbr.org/2018/03/why-so-many-high-profile-digital-transformations-fail

APR Nov/Dec 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APR Nov/Dec 2022