Learn what separates success from failure in technology-led transformation initiatives
Transform! explores the stark reality that only a small fraction of companies achieve their technology-led transformation objectives, with billions of dollars wasted each year. The book highlights the critical barriers to success, such as defining the right investment priorities and addressing workforce skills and attitudes. It also sheds light on the broader implications of this wastage, including the opportunity costs and the potential to fund global solutions like eradicating hunger.
Through compelling case studies and data-driven insights, Transform! delivers key insights on:
- Pitfalls of technology-led change programmes, from faulty air traffic control systems causing massive disruptions to tragic incidents like the UK’s Post Office Horizon accounting system debacle
- 14 core behaviours which have been proven over more than two decades of application to reduce the chances of failure and to significantly increase the likelihood of creating more successful outcomes
- Steps to setting up and running technology programmes of any size, which are ultimately very human-intensive and creative
Transform! is an essential read for all business leaders and professionals looking for a reliable and practical guide to navigate the complexities of digital transformation.
Table of Contents:
Section I What’s the Problem Here? 1
Chapter 1 And Why Do I Care? 3
1.1 Time, Please 6
1.2 The Technical Debt Crises 10
1.3 How Big Is the Debt? 11
1.4 What Does This Mean for Me? 14
1.5 What’s in It for Me? 16
1.6 Not so SWIFT 21
1.7 Where Did It All Go Wrong? 23
1.8 Change 101 24
Chapter 2 Who Needs a Survival Guide? 27
2.1 US Inc. and UK PLC 30
2.2 Legacy Code, Legacy Thinking 31
Section II How Do We Solve It? 35
Chapter 3 The Importance of a Software- Centric Mindset 37
3.1 The Decline of the Big Three 38
Chapter 4 When It All Goes Wrong 45
4.1 When the Virtual Wheels Fell Off at Volkswagen 45
4.2 Sonos’s Sorry Tale 49
Chapter 5 The Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them 51
5.1 A Waterfall Approach to Improvement 51
5.2 Failing to Distinguish Between Hard Tasks and Complex Problems 54
5.3 Classifying the Problem Domain Correctly 55
5.4 Solving for the Wrong Problems 60
5.5 No Clarity Around the Definition of “Great” or How to Get There 61
5.6 The Vital Role of Testing 61
5.7 Lack of Psychological Safety 62
5.8 Pitfalls in Practice 63
Chapter 6 The 14 Behaviors Behind Successful TLT 75
Chapter 7 Real- World Effects: A Project Comparison 97
7.1 Paradise Lost: The Story of the Disastrous Post Office Horizon Project 98
7.2 “Big- Bang” ERP Transformation on a Global Scale 105
Section III What’s the Plan, Stan? 115
Chapter 8 Before You Start Your Transformation 117
8.1 Bringing All Four Pillars of Technology- Led Transformation Together 118
8.2 Do You Have a Change Mindset? 118
8.3 Sears: A Story of Failed Success 119
8.4 Tesla: A Story of Successful Failure 122
8.5 Are You Grooving in the Right Behaviors from the Outset? 126
Chapter 9 Have You Assessed the Risks? 129
9.1 Data Migration as a Risk 133
9.2 Lloyds Banking Group’s IT Failure 133
9.3 Some Practical Steps to Managing Project Risk More Effectively 134
9.4 Risk Management Tooling and Frameworks 134
Chapter 10 Cybersecurity and Data Integrity 139
10.1 Peak Loads and Capacity 140
Chapter 11 Setting Scope and Objectives 141
Chapter 12 Optimizing for Different Parameters to Address Changing Priorities 145
Chapter 13 Architecture in the Physical World 149
13.1 Leaning Tower of Pisa 149
13.2 St. Martin’s- in- the- Field 150
13.3 Managing the Madness 151
13.4 What Defines Modern Software Architecture? 153
Chapter 14 Program Governance and Project Contingency 157
14.1 A Case Study— Willis and KKR 157
Chapter 15 Agile Explained 163
15.1 The Agile Manifesto 165
15.2 You Say “Tomato” and I Say “Tomato” 166
15.3 What Is Agile Really About? 167
15.4 What Agile Is Not 169
15.5 The Importance of Domain Knowledge 170
15.6 Patterns and Anti- Patterns of Effective Agile Teams 171
15.7 Agile Team Roles, Ceremonies, and Practices 173
15.8 Goal- Gradient Effect 178
Chapter 16 Organizational and Team Structures 181
16.1 Information Flows and Conway’s Law 181
Chapter 17 Delivery Resourcing Strategy 185
17.1 Selecting the Team: The Insiders 185
17.2 Selecting the Team: The Third Parties 187
Chapter 18 Adopt a Proven Change Framework 189
18.1 From Nudge to Kotter 189
18.2 Maintaining Integrity of Leadership 191
Chapter 19 Getting Started and Keeping Going 193
19.1 Communicating Effectively About Progress 194
19.2 Maintaining Morale 194
19.3 Managing Risks 195
19.4 Responding to Problems 196
Chapter 20 Not- So- Minor Details 197
20.1 Early Adopters and Change Champions 197
20.2 Products, Not Projects 198
20.3 Non- Functional Requirements 199
20.4 Ensuring Third Parties Do Not Overstay Their Welcome 201
20.5 When Initiatives Do Happen, but They Don’t Scale 202
Chapter 21 What to Measure and What Not to Measure 205
Chapter 22 After the First Delivery 209
22.1 Celebrating the First Deployment 209
22.2 Planning for Phase 2 and Beyond 210
22.3 Measuring Benefit Capture 210
Section IV GenAI- Enabled Change and the Rise of the Machines 211
Chapter 23 This Could Take Forever 213
23.1 The Elephant in the Room 215
23.2 Running to Stand Still 216
23.3 Out with the Old, In with the New 217
Chapter 24 Enter the Machines 221
24.1 The Tipping Point 222
24.2 Likely GenAI Use- Cases for Information Technology Organizations 229
24.3 Use the Force, Luke 232
24.4 GenAI- Assisted Engineering: All Change, Please 235
24.5 No Silver Bullets 239
Appendix 241
Notes 245
Acknowledgments 253
About the Authors 259
Index 263
About the Author :
IAN MURRIN is a pioneering technology entrepreneur with over 30 years of success in building and scaling high-impact businesses. As the founder of Digiterre, he has led the company to become a multi-award-winning consultancy, trusted by many of the world’s leading finance, energy, and commodities trading firms to deliver complex software and data engineering solutions at speed and scale.
RAJESH JETHWA is a multi-award-winning Chief Technology Officer with over 20 years of success leading high-performing technology organizations. Recognized five times as one of the UK’s Top 100 CIOs, he is also an executive leadership coach and a dedicated mentor, known for developing talent and driving innovation at scale.
MIKE WRIGHT has served as CIO for some of the world’s most respected organizations, including most recently, McKinsey & Company. Renowned for driving technology innovation and large-scale transformation, he has built a career on successfully delivering complex initiatives at global scale while fostering technology-led innovation and business growth.
