| | July 20179CIOReviewwill find yourself playing catch-up to their shadow IT. As part of your team's evangelization effort, conduct workshops, and discovery sessions with them to generate ideas. Seek out innovators and mobility advocates and bring them into the fold. Above all, identify mobility use cases that bring real value to the business, not just "me too" solutions. Guess what, just about every company has a mobile-enabled version of their website (whether they need it or not).Operate Outside of IT Processes (But Not IT)Bi-modal IT notwithstanding, it's a fact that innovation requires a different approach than maintaining production systems. The latter requires stability, predictability and risk aversion to be successful, while the former can only happen in their absence.Don't bypass governance where it is essential, but recognize that much of your initial work in digital transformation will be one of the three P's (Proof of Concept, Prototype or Pilot), and that unnecessary and burdensome processes will kill those initiatives in the cradle. To avoid political pitfalls, employ the concept of intentional collaboration with other IT teams. Give them seats at the table where appropriate and don't just provide status, but make sure they are consulted and understand what is going on every step of the way. This extra effort will pay dividends down the road.Deal With DivergenceFive or so years ago, the big question in mobility was which platform would "win": Apple or Android (or something else). Developers bet their futures on learning objective-C or Java, and IT managers hedged their bets by duplicating efforts to create two versions of the same solution. HTML5 was touted as the future answer to this problem by offering a universal, albeit web-based, platform for solutions. While HTML5 certainly has its place, fully native apps written with multi-platform code generators strike the best balance. As we move into non-screen technologies such as wearables, IoT devices, cognitive services, sensors and the like, it is clear that divergence will continue. As in all IT solutions, let the requirements direct your path.Don't Let the Perfect Be The Enemy Of The GoodThe mobility space is not waiting for you. We are ten years into the age of modern mobility, and the space continues to evolve. Be nimble and quick as you vet technologies, platforms, and solutions. Balance cost, risk and capabilities and then make a decision. Assume that the vendor you adopt may not exist in three years. Be prepared to abandon, adjust or redirect along the way. Your planning horizon for digital transformation tools and vendors should be around 18 months, so plan accordingly.Build. Deliver. Assess. Repeat.Mobility is personal. Even more, it has become a natural extension of the person using it. Achieving that natural experience is purposeful, incremental work. Consumer experiences have a huge impact on the adoption of enterprise solutions, so build something, and get it in the hands of users early and often. These early builds are not meant to generate praise but to elicit raw, honest reactions. Be sure to observe, listen and refine during these sessions. Of course, an agile development process is required, but more than that, you must have an agile culture that understands it is indeed possible to have defined scope while leaving room for refinement.Prepare To ScaleYou can't play in the sandbox forever. For each POC/prototype/pilot that succeeds, you will need to engage mainstream IT for governance, scaling and support. It is critical to ensure you have intentionally involved IT along the way so that the eventual hand-off doesn't become a "dump-off." This will require a full assessment of the solution along with a plan to fill any gaps prior to full adoption. Think of it as preparing the baby's room while you're still pregnant.Looking back on our timid beachgoer, we would summarize and apply these practical guidelines in this way: decide where you're going, take a step, expect to get cold and wet, evaluate your position, then do it again. And again. And again. After all, the water is indeed fine. What we are calling digital transformation now is the profound way in which technology is impacting how we interact with the world
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