Throughout my career, I’ve worked with some great companies who saw the value of technology and ran with it. I’ve helped leading communication providers leverage photogrammetry to streamline fiber deployments and have even had the privilege of working with the US Army on Edge AI applications.
Project success was determined on how fast data could be collected and analyzed in order to streamline operations, increase efficiency, or increase profitability. Bottlenecks in the data flow caused unforeseen operational expenditures, missed deadlines, and even redundancies around tasks. The operational efficiencies achieved by the companies who embraced digital transformation could easily be seen through their streamlined process and ability to deliver on complex projects.
I’ve been reading a book called “Good to Great” by Jim Collins which examines pivotal moments that either make or break businesses. I particularly enjoyed chapter 7 which focuses on how cutting-edge technology alone won’t make a company great. Rather, “Great companies use technologies as an accelerator of momentum, not a creator of it”. The book laid out the different stages of technology adoption to accelerate success.
– Crawl: Experiment with the new technology first internally then debate if it’s a potential fit with your goals.
– Walk: Begin to integrate the technology with preexisting systems and priorities. Ask whether the technology is serving your goals or distracting you from them.
– Run: If the new technology provides clear advantages in pursuit of goals, bet big and make a splash.
GEOMAGIC GmbH is the parent company of the company I work for, GEOMAGIC Utility Solutions. GEOMAGIC GmbH are pioneers in developing applications to manage cathodic protection data, simplifying integrity analysis, and process management. They initially created these software applications to solve internal challenges, and did such a great job that they’re now our core offerings at GEOMAGIC Utility Solutions. I would have to say, GEOMAGIC GmbH definitely took the time to think about how technology could increase operational efficiencies and had the courage to go all in to create unstoppable momentum.
Through my time in the oil & gas space, I’ve seen a mixed bag of technology adoption. Some companies are still collecting data manually and inputting into data management solutions that don’t offer analysis or a ton of value when it comes to making operational decisions. Others have fully embraced industry 4.0 applications and are doing some amazing things using sensors and analytics. No matter what stage you are at with technology adoption, from crawling to running, there is always room for growth.
In the preface of “Good to Great”, Jim Collins included his email address to create a feedback loop with his readers. I thought that was an amazing gesture and wanted to do the same. If you have any questions or would like to discuss moving your operations in a positive direction through the power of technology, feel free to email me below.