There’s a kind of negative feeling (read misunderstanding) every time I put together the two words digital & waste.
I always have to clarify I’m fascinated by new technologies, I challenge myself to be updated with new opportunities and I lead so many projects related to I4.0 solutions in my business area.
Many organizations and companies are challenged as well to “enable leaders in the digital era”, creating qualification and competence for the leaders today are shaping the future..
They are now taking decisions for the next years and they should not need a translator to be supported by IT & SW specialists.
I’m not saying that you need to be a specialist before being a leader, nevertheless a certain competence level is a key to ask the right questions, handle those discussions and understand the effect of certain decisions in the long term
Qualification is therefore so important, for students, for specialists, for leaders, …
How does it start the digital evolution of a company ?
The digital wave is so powerful and you can bet there’s an advantage in any application.
Many companies are satisfied to have a kind of “Why”. Let’s call it the first “U” (it stands for “Useful”).
A certain competence in the company core processes (It can be production, consultancy, marketing, …) and the above mentioned digital competence allow leaders to drive the change in the right point of the company, and in the right time, and in the right quantity, ..and …
Ok, did you miss the connection with waste ? It’s coming ..
Hopefully companies involve all stakeholders, including end users, to handle the “How”. Let’s call it the second “U” (it stands for “Usable”).
It’s the phase in which you sometimes realize you need just less than 50% of the proposed solution.
Let’s try to describe it better.. I buy a smartphone, I use just part of its potentials and only some apps.
Many time scalability is an option and you just invest when (and where) you need.
The rest is waste (if not necessary or not used)
Ok, someone says you cannot know it in advance for any application..
That’s absolutely right, but you can learn from the first two “U” and add a third one to close a kind of improvement loop questioning yourself if all features / apps are really “Used”.
This helps to concentrate investments, efforts and qualification to the focus topics and reduce the digital waste (it can be a huge cost !)
The use of the “three U” is not a general rule or a key for the future, but it supports teamworking, decisions and gives transparency.
Thinking heads have the power to use it without being so strict to stop creativity, as always.
Written by Paolo Ciannamea (Bosch)