Digitalization Framework; Fusion Teams; EPC/EPC(m)

Today’s Article will focus on pointers that are needed to visualize and realize the Digital products to EPC companies, keeping the Fusion Teams Concept at its core;

This article precedes my earlier thought process on Digitalization Frame work published last year and this next definitive step towards components of team that can help realize the objective for EPC , EPC(m) ;

Like any other industry or sector, we are on a transitional journey from document centric to data centric digital transformation; traditional team compositions and skill distribution would not suffice the new journey!?

Let us understand; why the need;?

• Information technology has been a supporting function; however, Information management has been cross functional within industry.
• Tradition information management skills are spread across the disciplines
• Advent of new information technologies such as Robotic Process Automation, AI/ML, Low Code –No Code solutions can be owned and operated by business teams but viewed as “IT Skills”
• Lack of skilled resources that can drive business benefits while steering the adoption of these powerful technologies.

Those current facets have given rise to “Fusion spot” that can be only addressed by "FUSION TEAMS"

So how this opportunity can be full filled and value can be realized to the organizations:?the answer lies in structured approach and culture; one of the solution I believe is Fusion Teams, proposed by Garner?. ?

What is a Fusion Team?

A fusion team is a multidisciplinary team that blends technology or analytics and business domain expertise and shares accountability for business and technology outcomes. Instead of organizing work by functions or technologies, fusion teams are typically organized by the cross-cutting business capabilities, business outcomes or customer outcomes they support.

Fusion teams do not have a prescribed reporting structure. Team leaders or members may report to either dedicated IT departments or business areas outside of IT. Fusion teams often start as Agile project or scrum teams and gradually adopt product management discipline to oversee a capability end-to-end, from strategy to delivery and continuous enhancements.

Fusion Teams:

???Blend technology skills, analytical skills and business domain expertise

Share accountability for the solutions they build

Organize by outcomes and not business functions

(source : Gartner research link provided above)

As per Gartner , here is guide to Fusion teams:

Let us try to understand what it means for niche industry as ours;

We are yet to reach data driven Digital Transformation, much of the focus is on Operation Excellence and staying ahead of the competition; I believe the Fusion Team approach needs to be modified to suite our industry ;?here is my take on the concept

Gartner research – provides insight to Distributed Delivery Model to industries as represented by below model?

Few clear trends as outlined in the survey can be adopted for our industry:

1. Business leadership with clear road map from concept to commissioning to operation of digital solutions
2. IT for value creation with clear participation / leading towards value creation in Fusion Team
3. Shift of focus from line management responsibility to business led accountability
4. Solution driven approach to product driven approach
5. Agility in product management (which was earlier limited IT products/projects rollouts)

Risks for such an adoption in our Industry?and management plan

Conclusion:

• Fusion Teams is concept needs to be worked out by the organizations
• Move away from Functional or departmental transformation to Solution Centric & product life cycle driven transformation
• Enough research and rapid adoption is happening in other sectors learn from it

However, as outlined in Gartner? research there is substantial work that needs to done to avoid the obvious pitfalls and steer clear of routine obstacles, CIOs, Digital Officers have added responsibility to ensure the Program Management is business outcome centric or it has shift from Solution centric to product centric that can navigate the digital journey across line management or functions or practices within the organizations.

I strongly recommend the peers , technology managers to review the Gartner ? Survey to further plan their Digital journeys.

?P.S --> above link is for my earlier article on Digitalization Framework for EPCs , some of the ideas do match with Fusion Team concept.?