Corona-19 will Boost "Industry & Society 4.0" Transformation and Change Processes or?
We are approaching the end of this turbulent Covid-19 year, which stalls our businesses and lives. Obviously, these problems will stay with us at least next year too, as forecasts shows. We are facing big challenges of changes in all areas and levels. The need for interpersonal physical distancing and isolation gears the need for the extensive use of ICT tools and the utilization of new business models. However, this crisis is upgrading the existing global crisis boosted by the last financial crisis, conflicts of different communities' interests performing at different areas and levels of our daily businesses and lives, as-well-as climate-related challenges, public safety challenges, and widening the gaps between rich and developing countries, and more. New business models need to successfully cope with these unpredictable, dynamic, and complex business and societal issues.
There is no doubt, the Covid-19 is boosting the Industry & Society 4.0's digitalization strategic transformation and change processes.
How to increase the resilience of our businesses at all levels and domains? By more openness, tolerance, reciprocity, trustful collaboration culture, business excellence based leadership and practices in all activities of our business ecosystems.
More money, by simply raising more monetary support, isn't the solution to the existing international development challenges, as the PwC survey shows. What can we learn from their latest report? Their global research found five key areas that can help the international development community rethink how they build in resilience to resume operating fully during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and weather future disruptions. These key areas are:
Strategy and funding
Collaboration,
Capabilities,
Service delivery, and impact,
Leadership and trust
Study authors realized, the mentioned five areas are strongly interdependent. Authors are claiming, these areas should be viewed through a wide-angle lens that combines innovation, technology, solution-sharing, modern management, and strategy, along with international, national, and local development experience.
We face a situation where we need to rethink our existing business models and find new authentic, innovative ways to perform our business functions and processes. There is no doubt, technologically advanced, flexible-dynamic, open-minded, innovative, and fast learning organizations, empowered by adequate leadership will prevail, survive, and grow.
Fig.1 illustrates the LENS Living Lab's holistic approach to the Industry & Society 4.0' thematic collaborative research-innovations' business cases.
Fig 1: LENS Living Lab's holistic approach to the Industry & Society 4.0 business cases
You can find below a short insight into one of such ongoing LENS Living Lab's collaborative open research and innovation program business cases. This is the PPiM 4.0 program, which deals with the development of new competencies and services for the needs of the Industry & Society 4-0, to more efficient effective govern and coordinate related innovation and development processes, and related partnering research -innovation projects, programs, and their supporting innovation ecosystems.
by Brane Semolic, Editor & PPiM 4.0 Program Coordinator
Collaborative Research & Innovation Program
"Project, Program Innovation Management 4.0"
(PPiM 4.0)
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
The main enabling factors of Industry & Society 4.0 are the Internet of Things (IoT) and other modern enabling technologies that are fostering the digitalization of our systems, processes, products, and services at all areas and levels of our globalized businesses. These fast development technologies boost the pace of changes and instabilities of such globalized markets. Today’s business success requires digitalization and technology management literate experts with a global business and culture awareness, with a good understanding of its own (organizational and personal) competencies. All actors need to be innovative and able to exploit all available business ecosystem resources by partnering in different value chain development initiatives and related innovation projects. Permanent innovation and exploitation of external regional and international innovation potentials are becoming a precondition for sustainable business success. Various digitalized collaboration platforms, partnering programs, projects, and related management activities are the primary “organizational vehicles of these emerging innovation processes and changes.”
Programs and projects are “blood vessels” of organizational and inter-organizational value chains and their innovations. Traditional (vertical) education, training, and certification programs are not adequate for the emerging needs of Industry & Society 4.0. They generate “silo thinkers and operators” with limited understanding and collaboration in partnering professions' value chain. The new leadership styles focusing on partnering innovation processes of co-creation of experts from different professional backgrounds and industries are essential for Industry & Society 4.0 innovation excellence.
VALUE OF PROGRAM RESULTS
New PPiM 4.0 Competence Profile Development will create an opportunity window for increase the effectiveness and efficiency of Industry 4.0’ research-innovation and development (RID) programs and projects by filling the gaps between the traditional PM competences (ISO 21 500) and the needs of the Industry & Society 4.0 framework;
Better understanding and linkage between the existing and emerging technical and non-technical professions;
The new guidelines and professional pilot standards for the needs of qualification, certification, and validation of PPiM 4.0 life-long learning and certification services;
A new platform for PPiM 4.0's partner products and services commercialization
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION SCENARIO
The program implementation scenario is based on the learnings from the SCRUM pilot projects. SCRUM pilot projects are independent real-life research-innovation projects performed by the PPiM 4.0 program partners within their industry and academy innovation ecosystems. Fig.2 illustrates the agile and dynamic cascade process of this program implementation.
Fig 2. The PPiM 4.0 Program Implementation agile and dynamic cascade process
Criterions for selections of SCRUM pilot projects:
Must address one or more domains of the PPiM 4.0 Knowledge Base Framework (KBF),
Must contribute PPiM 4.0 KBF development,
Must demonstrate the PPiM 4.0 KBF industry business cases,
The selected industry business case needs to be from the real business environment
We are sharing below a short insight into a few different examples of this program selected SCRUM projects. Coordinators of these projects prepared these reports.
SCRUM PROJECT - Business Case 1 "Technology Platform ROBOTOOL 4.0" (ROBO 4.0)
This business case is an integral part of the bigger industry research and innovation project (ROBOTOOL-1), focusing on new hybrid, robotized, and digitalized workplaces, which are integral parts of a smart manufacturing system for the needs of the toolmaking-machine industry SMEs. Besides, project partners also need to secure sustainable collaboration to develop these technologies after completing this project. The partnering research-innovation program's establishment with the technology platform ROBOTOOL 4.0 is foreseen for these needs.
This SCRUM project, ROBO 4.0, will contribute to the PPiM 4.0 program with the new KBF components definitions, industry pilot examples, and open innovation ecosystem service business cases.
by Prof.Brane Semolic, SCRUM Project ROBO 4.0 Coordinator
SCRUM PROJECT - Business Case 2 "Partnering in Innovation and Creativity –
with Danish Case Studies" (DK-INNO)
For the last two decades, innovation has been one of the hot topics for business life and for the administration of the whole society. But it starts by fostering creative ideas about how to solve complex problems in a new and collaborative way. Start up´s and small organizational groups create most ideas, which could lead to radical changes and innovation. Small organizational units or companies create new innovative solutions to problems needed to be solved in business, health care, and other parts of society. However, they often face problems with a lack of resources and business experience in order to bring the product to the market and scaling up the production or organization. Clusters and hubs are growing up in many regions forming a knowledge network for supporting these startups in all business areas during the difficult scaling-up process and market entrance. The big question is how you can improve the effectiveness and success of such clusters.
This SCRUM project aims to identify the driving forces and success factors for a successful Danish high-tech cluster. Hopefully, this analysis could contribute to better knowledge development in this important area. The SCRUM will also shed light on the issue, how to foster a creative mindset at the team level as at the organizational level, leading to innovative solutions.
by Prof.Leif Henriksen, SCRUM Project DK-INNO Coordinator
SCRUM PROJECT - Business Case 3 "Virtual Innovation Platform 3L ExArca 4.0"
(ExArca 4.0)
This project business case is related to the development of the new generation of digital innovation platform ExArca 4.0 to support open innovation industry activities in practice. We'll pilot this new version to digitalize the open research and innovation processes, and supporting services of this PPiM 4.0 program innovation ecosystem (Fig.2). This dynamic development process is based on the long-year practices of development and using old versions of this CCS system and its international users' practices.
by mag.Luka Semolic, SCRUM Project ExArca 4.0 Coordinator
SCRUM PROJECT - Business Case 4 COMPANIES AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COMMISSION (CIPC) PROJECT FAILURES
(Cranefield College PhDs)
The lack of projects being implemented within allocated timeframes is having a negative impact on the CIPC and its stakeholders. In order to improve organizational performance and stakeholder satisfaction, requires the implementation of remedial actions to stem the tide of project rollovers from one financial year to the next, which ultimately also affects the budgeting process. Timeous project implementation is the cornerstone for organizational success and profitability.
The research question to be answered is what remedial actions to employ in order to ensure that projects are timeously delivered, thereby improving organizational performance and stakeholder satisfaction. Supporting questions relate to the skills and capabilities of employees of the project office, the primary elements contributing to the delay of project implementation, and the impact this has on dependent projects, the organization itself, and stakeholder satisfaction. The research is nearing completion and the results should be available early in 2021.
by Prof.Pieter Steyn, SCRUM Project Cranefield College PhDs Project Coordinator
SCRUM PROJECT - Business Case 5
NEEDS FOR TRANSFORMATION IN INDUSTRY 4.0 ENVIRONMENT FOR MANAGEMENT CONSULTING SERVICES (PTMF India)
In India, various initiatives by the Government around “Make in India”, “Digital India”, ‘Start-Up India’’ and during Corona pandemic ‘’ Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self Reliant India)’’ are acting as the catalyst for the digital transformation. The adoption of digital technologies has seen significant growth in 2019, leading with automation and machines getting augmented with sensors, AI and IoT solutions. The manufacturing sector currently contributing about 25 % of our GDP and is targeted to grow further up to 30% of India’s GDP by 2025 and create about 90 million domestic jobs. But these outcomes can be achieved only if industries can incorporate new technologies to improve productivity and competitiveness which only technology can help. Technology led innovation is reducing the product life cycle and organizations have found it challenging to keep pace for adoption & adaptation of Industry 4.0 technologies. For success of digital transformation journey, it is essential to build an eco-system comprising of collaborative elements which will foster and support the desired transformation. In this context, the agile management practices assumes significance.
Management Consultants and Project Managers have an important role in this ‘collaborative eco-system’. From digital strategy planning to its execution, facilitating organizational change management process for successful outcomes. However, it has been felt that there is shortage of qualified and trained professionals who can effectively address the digital transformation needs of the industry. In addition, current breed of management consultants need to upgrade themselves to play an useful role in this journey to be effective to help their clients to transform for their own survival and growth. And that would also mean that management consultants must have technology literacy, understanding of applied technology implications in this transformation and also adjust and adopt change behavior for creating a desired culture for change.
Implication of industry 4.0 environments and Corona pandemic have drastically impacted business performance, business models and future direction of organisations requiring agile practices and significant innovation capabilities for longer term survival and growth.
For helping and advising industries now need capable management consultant and project managers. Question therefore arises if existing practitioners of management consultants/ certified project managers will be able to address the needs of management consultancy services in Industry 4.0 environment or they need to acquire new skills? If yes, what are those new skill sets relevant to Industry 4.0 environment?
Key Concerns of Industries and Management Consultants:
There is thus, an urgent need to carry out a research study to identify critical needs of the industry and key imperatives for management consultancy and project management in the Industry 4.0 scenario. More specifically to understand what are the perceived threats that businesses are experiencing in the time of disruption and what are the internal changes that organisations need to address. Also how they can identify the right partners to collaborate to accelerate innovation processes within the business? From the perspective of the consultants the key concerns are if they can help businesses to deliver results in changed circumstances. Have they already become redundant in the current context and there is a need to unlearn and relearn. Will the future projects be similar to what they did earlier or they will have new dimensions.
The other related issues are the new parameters or determinants of project success and do they have the capabilities to handle new complexity in businesses as well as how the business models are changing during disruption
How they can ensure that they really can add value in their clients’ organisation? And how do they know what they need to do to remain relevant in the new business environment?
Research Study Undertaken:
We have undertaken a collaborative research work to address these issues and concerns to identify the areas of transformation required covering Technology Management, Innovation Management, and Project Management from the perspective of both client organizations and management consultants.
Scope of the Research Study:
The SCRUM research project deliverables are:
To assess the digital transformation needs of industry requiring consulting intervention.
To assess if the existing consultants have become obsolete.
To identify key areas for development of Management Consultants and Project Managers to address Industry 4.0 needs.
Key deliverable and Outcome:
Deliverable will be a report presenting the summary of Findings and set of Recommendations based on the outcome of research as per Scope which will clearly establish if there is a scope and relevance for re-certification of management consultants and project managers.
The research will lead to finding the key performance criteria for management consultants and project consultants to play their role in transformation and disruption under Industry 4.0 covering technological, behavioral and cultural aspects.
Methodology and Current Status:
A quantitative survey is being undertaken to administer a structured questionnaire on a select group of Head of Business, Operations Managers, Project Managers, Innovation and Transformation Managers, Research Managers, Senior Management Consultants from Industry as well as leading consulting companies in India and Overseas to capture the real life problems and issues and what is the future direction. These results will be analysed using statistical tools to derive concluding findings. A case study approach will also be used.
We have so far designed the questionnaire and also run a pilot to validate the questionnaire. Based on the pilot the questionnaire has been revised and is currently being administered to identified respondents. We expect that data collection will be over by the first quarter of the year 2021.
Conclusion:
We believe that the findings will be quite revealing and will form the basis of the management consulting practices in Industry 4.0 environment when collaboration, co-creation, radical innovation and transformation will be the order of the day under disruptive environment to ensure organisational survival, growth and sustainability.
by Prof.Rajat K.Baisya, SCRUM Project PTMI India Project Coordinator
We are planning two KM FEST events for the next year, as follows:
KM FEST Odense, Denmark in March 2021 (this year KM FEST event postponed because of COVID-19 pandemic situation) and
KM FEST Celje, Slovenia in September 2021
More detailed information with events dates will be available ASAP
