Early in my career, the phrase “operating system” referred to something quite specific: the software layer that sat between hardware and applications, allocating resources and ensuring that each component did its work in an orderly fashion. Today I find the term increasingly useful as a description of something broader. In the modern enterprise, workflow automation […]
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Over the past two years, I have observed a familiar pattern in organizations of almost every size. A small team builds a generative AI prototype. It performs impressively in a demonstration. Senior leadership is enthusiastic, and a budget is approved. Then, some months later, the project is quietly still a pilot, serving a handful of […]
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The demo was polished, the references were glowing, and the price looks reasonable. Then the contract arrives, and the details that decide whether this purchase pays off or becomes a problem are buried in the fine print. Before you sign, press on these seven questions. 1. What is the true total cost? Start with the […]
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Ask any manager where time disappears in their organization and approvals will feature prominently in the answer. A purchase request waits for a signature. A software license sits in someone’s inbox. A contract exception circulates by email until someone remembers to chase it. Each individual delay may seem minor, but collectively they slow the business […]
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Every IT organization maintains a backlog of requests for small applications and workflow improvements that never quite rise to the top of the priority list. Low-code platforms offer a way to address that backlog by allowing people outside IT, often called citizen developers, to build workflows and simple applications themselves. The opportunity is considerable. So, […]
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Some years ago, I was asked to examine why a mid-sized organization took nearly three weeks to provide a new employee with a working laptop and system access. Each department involved insisted that its own part of the process took only a day or two. They were correct. The problem was not the work itself. […]
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Once an organization commits to workflow automation, an immediate question arises: where should it begin? Nearly every department can produce a list of processes it would like automated, and the combined list quickly exceeds any reasonable capacity. Choosing poorly can consume a year of effort on a process that delivers little value. Choosing well builds […]
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The typical large enterprise operates hundreds of applications. Many were selected for sound reasons at the time, by individual departments seeking the best tool for their particular needs. The cumulative result, however, is a fragmented landscape in which information is duplicated, processes are disjointed and no one has a complete view of how work flows […]
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Most organizations believe they understand how their processes work. They have process maps, policy documents and standard operating procedures that describe each step in careful detail. Yet when the actual flow of work is examined, the reality frequently differs from the documentation in significant ways. Steps are skipped, repeated or performed out of sequence. Requests […]
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A new employee’s first day leaves a lasting impression. When the laptop is ready, accounts are active, the desk is prepared and the manager has a plan for the first week, the individual feels welcomed and becomes productive quickly. When none of these things are in place, the message received is quite different, and it […]
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When I first worked alongside IT support teams, the measure of a good service desk was largely how quickly it could respond to a telephone call and close a ticket. The model was fundamentally reactive. Something broke, a user reported it, and the IT team fixed it. Success meant working through the queue efficiently. That […]
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