Member Challenge
- New technology can hit like a meteor. Not only disruptive to IT, technology provides opportunities for organization-wide advantage.
- Your role is endangered. If you don’t prepare for the most disruptive technologies, you could be overshadowed. Don’t let the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) set the technological innovation agenda
- Predicting the future isn’t easy. Most IT leaders fail to realize how quickly technology increases in capability. Even for the tech savvy, predicting which specific technologies will become disruptive is difficult.
- Communication is difficult when the sky is falling. Even forward-looking IT leaders struggle with convincing others to devote time and resources to monitoring technologies with a formal process.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Establish the core working group, select a leader, and select a group of visionaries to help brainstorm emerging technologies.
- Brainstorm about creating a better future, begin brainstorming an initial longlist.
- Train the group to think like futurists.
- Evaluate the shortlist.
- Define your PoC list and schedule.
- Finalize, present the plan to stakeholders and repeat.
Impact and Result
- Create a disruptive technology working group.
- Produce a longlist of disruptive technologies.
- Evaluate the longlist to produce a shortlist of disruptive technologies.
- Develop a plan for a proof-of-concept project for each shortlisted technology.
Research & Tools
| Name | Actions |
|---|
1. Disruptive Technology Exploitation Plan Template – A guide to develop the plan for exploiting disruptive technology.
The Disruptive Technology Exploitation Plan Template acts as an implementation plan for developing a long-term strategy for monitoring and implementing disruptive technologies.
| Name | Actions |
|---|---|
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Disruptive Technology Exploitation Plan Template
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2. Disruptive Technology Look to the Past Tool – A tool to keep track of the missed technology disruption from previous opportunities.
The Disruptive Technology Look to the Past Tool will assist you to collect reasonability test notes when evaluating potential disruptive technologies.
| Name | Actions |
|---|---|
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Disruptive Technology Look to the Past Tool
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3. Disruptive Technology Research Database Tool – A tool to keep track of the research conducted by members of the working group.
The Disruptive Technology Research Database Tool will help you to keep track of the independent research that is conducted by members of the disruptive technology exploitation working group.
| Name | Actions |
|---|---|
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Disruptive Technology Research Database Tool
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4. Exploit Disruptive Infrastructure Technology – A guide to help IT leaders make the most of disruptive impacts.
As a CIO, there is a need to move beyond day-to-day technology management with an ever-increasing need to forecast technology impacts. Not just from a technical perspective but to map out the technical understandings aligned to potential business impacts and improvements. Technology transformation and innovation is moving more quickly than ever before and as an innovation champion, the CIO or CTO should have foresight in specific technologies with the understanding of how the company could be disrupted in the near future.
Foresight + Current Technology + Business Understanding = Understanding the Business Disruption.
This should be a repeatable process, not an exception or reactionary response.
| Name | Actions |
|---|---|
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Exploit Disruptive Infrastructure Technology – Phases 1-3
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5. Disruptive Technology Shortlisting Tool
The Disruptive Technology Shortlisting Tool will help you to codify the results of the disruptive technology working group's longlist winnowing process.
| Name | Actions |
|---|---|
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Disruptive Technology Shortlisting Tool
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6. Disruptive Technology Value-Readiness and SWOT Analysis Tool – A tool to systematize notional evaluations of the value and readiness of potential disruptive technologies.
The Disruptive Technology Value Readiness & SWOT Analysis Tool will assist you to systematize notional evaluations of the value and readiness of potential disruptive technologies.
| Name | Actions |
|---|---|
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Disruptive Technology Value-Readiness and SWOT Analysis Tool
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7. Proof of Concept Template – A handbook to serve as a reference when deciding how to proceed with your proposed solution.
The Proof of Concept Template will guide you through the creation of a minimum-viable proof-of-concept project.
| Name | Actions |
|---|---|
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Proof of Concept Template
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8. Disruptive Technology Executive Presentation Template – A template to help you create a brief progress report presentation summarizing your project and program progress.
The Disruptive Technology Executive Presentation Template will assist you to present an overview of the disruptive technology process, outlining the value to your company.
| Name | Actions |
|---|---|
|
Disruptive Technology Executive Presentation Template
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Onsite Workshop: Exploit Disruptive Infrastructure Technology
Onsite workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost onsite delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Do-It-Yourself Implementation
The slides in this Best Practice Blueprint will walk you step-by-step through every phase of your project with supporting tools and templates ready for you to use.
Project Accelerator Workshop
You can also use this Best Practice Blueprint to facilitate your own project accelerator workshop within your organization using the workshop slides and facilitation instructions provided in the Appendix.
Module 1: Pre-work: Establish the Disruptive Tech Process
The Purpose
- Discuss the general overview of the disruptive technology exploitation process.
- Develop an initial disruptive technology exploitation plan.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Stakeholders are on board, the project’s goals are outlined, and the working group is selected.
| Activities | Outputs |
|---|---|
| 1.1 Get execs and stakeholders on board. |
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| 1.2 Review the process of analyzing disruptive tech. |
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| 1.3 Select members for the working group. |
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| 1.4 Choose a schedule and time commitment. |
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| 1.5 Select a group of visionaries. |
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Module 2: Hold the Initial Meeting
The Purpose
- Understand how disruption will affect the organization, and develop an initial list of technologies to explore.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Knowledge of how to think like a futurist.
- Understanding of organizational processes vulnerable to disruption.
- Outline of potentially disruptive technologies.
| Activities | Outputs |
|---|---|
| 2.1 Start the meeting with introductions. |
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| 2.2 Train the group to think like futurists. |
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| 2.3 Brainstorm about disruptive processes. |
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| 2.4 Brainstorm a longlist. |
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| 2.5 Research and brainstorm separate longlists. |
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Module 3: Create a Longlist and Assess Shortlist
The Purpose
- Evaluate the specific value of longlisted technologies to the organization.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Defined list of the disruptive technologies worth escalating to the proof of concept stage.
| Activities | Outputs |
|---|---|
| 3.1 Converge the longlists developed by the team. |
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| 3.2 Narrow the longlist to a shortlist. |
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| 3.3 Assess readiness and value. |
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| 3.4 Perform a SWOT analysis. |
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Module 4: Create an Action Plan
The Purpose
- Understand how the technologies in question will impact the organization.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Understanding of the specific effects of the new technology on the business processes it is intended to disrupt.
- Business case for the proof-of-concept project.
| Activities | Outputs |
|---|---|
| 4.1 Build a problem canvas. |
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| 4.2 Identify affected business units. |
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| 4.3 Outline and map the business processes likely to be disrupted. |
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| 4.4 Map disrupted business processes. |
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| 4.5 Recognize how the new technology will impact business processes. |
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| 4.6 Make the case. |
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