Without digital technologies like ERP, Cloud, and AI, pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Moderna would have taken much longer to trial, produce and critical vaccines to people. Tools and platforms behind these solutions are often hidden from the limelight. We need the right tools to operate, tinker with, connect, and compose new systems, which has created an unprecedented need for skilled IT professionals.

Passive End Users to Shape-Shifters
Around the world, there are roughly 26 million software developers today – same as the population of Australia – who use an array of programming languages, tools, and technologies. However, there are 100+ million professionals – end users – running critical business processes in banks, airlines, hospitals, retail companies, factories, and government agencies.

In the next 10 years, a vast majority is expected to join hands in building, not merely consuming digital solutions. For them to take a leap across the treacherous waters of full-stack programming, many (LCNC) are being made available. It should help trigger their primal instincts to build – to personalise, to restructure business processes, design new apps, construct workflows, and deploy machine learning models on data to make better decisions.

Such LCNC tools result in faster collaboration across teams, reduced cost of innovation, greater automation, and better user experience. This has been the – the Finland based aspiring technology leader in the premium electric motorcycles segment, where a small team created new apps in record time to manage evolving business needs.

However, while greater democratisation of software building occurs, it is not as if code has suddenly become irrelevant. Nor has it removed the need for software engineers. In fact, AI infused tools such as promise a future where tools transform into extensions of a skilled worker.

Systems for the Future
The humble axe remained the longest used tool in human history. It took millions of years in our evolutionary past before we built complex structures. Tools and skills are two sides of the same coin, and we achieved speed and scale by sharing knowledge of tools across communities, across generations.

To build digital systems of the future, we need to bring in the community. are already thinking about investing on better technology platforms. The future of work will need a that enables knowledge workers of varying skillsets to compose new business processes and re-shape their digital worlds.

With the collective intelligence, and better tools, what will we build? Bigger, better, faster, cheaper systems. Perhaps also, different, something unimaginable yet.

Steve Jobs told us in 2007 as an indicator: “In the end, we try to make tools for people, “and we’re constantly surprised with what people do with them.”

This article originally featured on

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These enterprise customers are adopters of that are enablers for new ways to manage spend and drive cost reductions. For the mid-market organisation, this transformation has been not been as consistent.

For many , the procurement function tends to be a lot less strategic and we often see organisations who are running processes that have had very little change in over a decade or more.

This stagnation comes at a cost through reduced margins, higher inefficiencies, and potentially excessive administrative overhead.

This decade we are also seeing increasing regulatory oversight on areas such as modern slavery, supplier payment times and health and safety – in some regions even exposing management to prison sentences for non-compliance. Couple all this with an increase in challenging trading conditions – the path to improvement is becoming more urgent.

With 2021 firmly underway the aim of this article is to provide a simple measuring stick for mid-market organisations to determine their relative procurement maturity in a number of selected areas. Whilst procurement has different aspects across different industries, many of the themes discussed below are cross-industry and apply in some way to most types of organisations. Forward looking mid-market organisations would be encouraged to assess some of these criteria against their current priorities for 2021 and beyond.

A key theme will be the across core processes which is an enabler to best in class outcomes.

How do your casual users buy?

Casual users are the staff in your organisation that need to buy “stuff” but are not part of a purchasing or supply chain team. Examples of this can be Marketing, Legal, HR, Facilities, IT and other similar areas. Each of these buyers need to procure goods and services for their area of operation in an easy way.

Most organisations will have some element of purchase initiation from staff that are not directly in procurement. The differences between approaches can be stark.

In the above scenario the path from laggard to best in class is underpinned by technology as the key enabler.

What is your catalogue strategy like?

Most of us use popular online web stores at home where there are vast catalogues of items to select from, but for a lot of mid-market organisations when you buy at work, it can still look like the 90s.

Catalogues provide the key connection for contracted items from suppliers with your buyers.

How does your organisation transact with suppliers?

Digital collaboration has been around for over a decade but in the mid-market the process can still be very email driven. If you are sending a Purchase order manually or even just as an attachment or inline text in an email and then receiving a paper or PDF invoice at the end – then the process is not digital. Digital is about engaging the supplier to directly provide transaction data in areas such as confirmations, shipment notices, returns, credits and invoices. All without data entry by your staff.

The path to digital delivers reductions in FTE overhead with better visibility on orders, faster invoicing turnaround and better compliance from suppliers to your purchase orders and contracts.

Government is also coming on board with many jurisdictions looking to encourage digital collaboration in the marketplace.

The way you transact with suppliers will have a direct impact on Accounts Payable efficiency discussed next.

How efficient is your Accounts Payable team?

Poor purchasing practices often place a bigger burden on Accounts Payable teams to wade through non-compliant, incomplete and missing information in the quest to process invoices and approve them for payment. Phones and emails can be bombarded with queries around late payment that follows.

We also seeing more governments introducing tougher rules around paying smaller suppliers which requires Accounts Payable teams to be able to get through invoicing efficiently.

The above scenarios are just some examples of the challenges we see at mid-market organisations.

There are opportunities for hard savings and benefits to those organisations that move towards best in class and it can often be done in a cost-effective way. For many mid-market organisations there is still a large administrative overhead that is behind the efficiency of bigger organisations who achieve more with less.

Interested in learning more? At 51·çÁ÷we work with many and can provide advice and guidance around your digital procurement strategy for 2021 and beyond.

This article originally published on .

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A holistic industry understanding reflects the changing norms of business as we face an international crisis that is reshaping organisations everywhere. COVID-19 is creating massive changes across industries and nation borders, which has made reliable information and guidance more important than ever.

To help businesses navigate this challenging time, 51·çÁ÷recently hosted a series of virtual forums called . The digital event featured industry-specific episodes to help organisations adjust, adapt, and thrive in this crisis.

I spoke, exploring the impact on workforces, risk and compliance in this era, and the role technology continues to play in adapting to global changes. This is a critical time to reach out and communicate – listening to staff, customers, and suppliers to create transparency. The more forthcoming businesses can be with one another, the easier it will be to weather this turmoil and safeguard against future shock events.

Internally, the workforce challenges businesses have always faced remain important, but staff retention and retraining can be key focuses during this period. Organisations need to make the best use of its human resources, not only ensuring staff safety, but re-skilling and redeploying employees to suit the changing environment.

Adaptation is handled through people; while technology can help companies change with the times, its people facilitate that transition and ensure business success. Technology’s role is to help staff work at their safest and most productive, therefore businesses need to continue supporting employees whether they’ve moved to working remotely or been adversely impacted by COVID-19.

Businesses need to exercise flexibility and agility during this time since news develops quickly and impacts are felt globally. Considering the scale and rate of change, organisations are thinking outside its own industry and core competencies to diversify capacities and futureproof the business.

We’re seeing increased collaboration and new alliances across industries and it’s encouraging to see competitive rivalries breaking down for the common goals of viability and helping one another. This is the time to offer assistance and accommodate new arrangements for projects, contracts, suppliers, partners, and staff.

Beyond profitability, all businesses face universal challenges as industries and workforce dynamics shift under these circumstances. Remote work is becoming the norm for back-end office staff and business need to support staff as they transition to more digitally based work processes. In construction specifically, this is not always possible. You will be reliant on actual people, skills, and machinery to come together to carry out a building task.

The way we work and communicate is changing, however the safety and wellbeing of people remains of paramount importance and we’re all facing similar risks in terms of compliance, legislation, and the impact of COVID-19.

Outside of the risks to internal and external human resources – our current situation has exposed many businesses to financial and supply chain risks. We’ve seen many organisations facing cashflow challenges during this lean period and, further down the line, supply chain issues due to every-changing legislations.

Borders nationally and globally have become less porous, limiting access to both materials and people. With restricted movement of supplies and workers, there have been consequent deficiencies and delays in projects throughout the industry. In Australia, we have been lucky that these physical effects have been less than that of the global environment.

We’ve seen various project stoppages throughout the industry while many other jobs are proceeding under limited capacities and more stringent regulations.

As overall supply chains adapt to the extraordinary circumstances we all face, suppliers that invested in digitalisation early are better equipped to handle these changes. The shifts in communication channels and platforms must be used for checking in with suppliers and staff alike. The critical point of all this technology is to humanise the connections we build across organisations and industries.

Before COVID-19 shook the world, I’ve maintained a fascination with the digital connection of systems, applications, processes, and people. Today, these critical technologies are helping businesses streamline processes and adapt to the changing circumstances. Within the EC&O industry, the multi-faceted applications for intelligent technologies is breaking down silos between business departments and supply chains.

By working from a single source of data and communication, technology does most of the heavy lifting while providing staff with more opportunity to work remotely, efficiently, and safely. Furthermore, digital assets are being used to minimise on-site interactions and help ensure the safety of on-site employees.

To learn more about how industry experts are mitigating risks and complying with modern slavery legislation, watch the on-demand replay of Virtual Industry Forum.

The post Building Better Business During Crisis for Engineering, Construction, and Operations appeared first on 51·çÁ÷Australia & New Zealand News Center.

Businesses across regions and industries are feeling the impact of COVID-19 and, trying to adapt the way their staff operate and communicate. This rapid shift towards remote working and social distancing is creating ongoing implications for businesses everywhere and the utilities sector is also facing the challenges of how to anticipate what will happen or how to prepare for it.

Impact on Australia’s Utilities Sector
Utilities providers in Australia have been generally responsive and transparent during this crisis. The quickly stated, “There is no evidence that drinking water will be affected by the COVID-19 virus or that it is transmitted by drinking water. Water is an essential service and water utilities are well prepared to manage their response to COVID-19.”

Queensland Natural Resources, Mines, and Energy Minister, Dr Anthony Lynham released a statement saying, “Just as state-owned power and water assets are ready for Queensland’s severe weather events, they are ready for the inevitable impact of coronavirus. I can assure Queenslanders that, should the virus spread, and if staff are taken offline, well-rehearsed contingency procedures will ensure ongoing essential services.”

Around the country, power and water providers have been rapid in responding to COVID-19, assuring customers that service will continue and staff that they’ll remain safe, implementing measures such as working from home and social distancing practices.

As news develops quickly and governments continue tightening restrictions on people’s movement and gathering, the full impact on Australia’s utilities industry is difficult to gauge. With the availability of workforce under risk, another critical impact is on supply chains with potential bottlenecking at primary shipping ports.

exploring the impact of COVID-19 on Australia’s solar sector, discovering that the virus will impact the manufacturing and supply of key equipment and materials used in the construction of solar energy facilities in Australia.

Downstream, these facilities can also expect delays or disruption in procurement of the necessary equipment and materials, with anticipated delays to construction timelines, milestones and completion dates. We’re also already seeing short-term price spikes as a result of availability and access to supply chains.

Digital Safeguards to Change
With increasing utilities providers undergoing digital transformation, this streamlining of supply chain processes and inventory management has also reduced the ability for some companies to cope with global shock events like COVID-19.

However, intelligent technologies and digital business platforms have equipped many companies with the right demand management systems to leverage different strategies for supply, transmission, and storage. The complexity of data analysis can help businesses highlight vulnerabilities in real-time and present other options or outcomes throughout a business’ lifecycle.

Digital transformation was and remains a critical safeguard to limiting people’s immediate contact as it enables staff to operate remotely and unlock avenues for automation – regardless of industry sector. At times of heightened caution for people’s safety, automation remains paramount to protecting people and businesses.

A outlined some valuable next steps for businesses that applies to any industry. The key takeaways from this report were to remain open and responsive with staff and customers; monitor key indicators across your supply chain; don’t neglect medium-term planning for short term responses; and centralise communication systems to ensure transparency and preparedness.

At this time of global confusion and ever-changing news developments, it’s valuable having some reliable information resources that can offer guidance during this crisis. 51·çÁ÷recently hosted a series of virtual forums calledĚý, with a second series going live on

The utilities session further explored the impact of COVID-19 on our industry’s workforces with an interactive customer panel from AGL and Mercury. We looked at the current situation and how it continues shifting the way we work in the field and office.

The second episode was an industry leadership panel with EY and Accenture, gathering some key insights about how utilities is being impacted and adapting to this global pandemic.ĚýĚýfrom the 2020 Adaptive Strategies in a Changed World Edition 1, and .

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Within mining, this global pandemic has demonstrated the need for flexibility and rapid responsiveness. While mining services have been deemed essential to the economy, this shift has led to roles labelled non-essential moving towards digitalisation. Companies have been driven towards work-from-home capabilities to limit public contact and mining is no exception.

Digital transformation was and remains a critical safeguard to limiting people’s immediate contact as it enables staff to operate remotely and unlock avenues for automation. At times of heightened caution for people’s safety, automation is paramount to protecting people and businesses.

Supply Chain Impact
As of writing this, Australian mining production continues, however news changes develop quickly, and governments continue tightening restrictions on people’s movement and gathering. With availability of workforce under risk, the other critical impact is on availability of goods and potential bottlenecking at primary shipping ports.

With increasing mining organisations undergoing streamlining supply chain processes and optimising inventory management, this increased efficiency has also reduced the ability for some companies to cope with global shock events like COVID-19.

However, digital platforms and intelligent technologies have equipped many businesses with the right demand management systems to leverage different strategies and sources for supplies. The dynamic complexity of comprehensive data analysis can help highlight vulnerabilities in real time and present other options or outcomes.

It’s a challenge to understand completely the effects of COVID-19 for mining as the pandemic continues evolving and measures a continually being implemented to curb its spread globally. Organisations with links to countries that have seen significant impacts, such as China, Korea, the US, Italy, and Spain should proceed with caution and consistently monitor how the virus could impact on operations.

The Vital Next Steps
outlined some valuable next steps for businesses that applies to any industry. The first and most important step is to support and protect employees during this time of uncertainty.

As the challenge is ever evolving, it’s important to listen closely to staff to help ensure their safety whether on- or off-site. Now is the time to communicate with people clearly and calmly, explaining what they can do to remain safe, productive, and informed.

The next step is to monitor key indicators of where the pandemic is evolving and start planning for more potential impacts as coronavirus continues to develop. Data from the regions of your key suppliers and customers could be vital in adapting your business process to safeguard from further interruptions to your supply chains and production processes.

Mining organisations must think about the next horizons of COVID-19. The urgency of immediate response to changes can make it difficult remain forces on what’s needed tomorrow or further down the road. Beyond the needs to today companies should be adapting to this change and hopefully emerge more resilient, more efficient, and flexible for future changes.

Centralising your systems and communications is paramount – not only for keep operations running and staff safe, but as a means of safeguarding against future impacts and getting ahead of any developments. It also helps to be transparent and responsive with staff, this ensures your organisation can maintain momentum and safety at challenge times like these.

With massive confusion and ever-changing news developments, it’s valuable having some reliable information resources that can offer guidance during this crisis. 51·çÁ÷recently hosted a series of virtual forums called , with industry-specific episodes to help companies make sense of the changing situation and utilise the latest technology trends for futureproofing their business. In looking back on the past few months, we also have a second edition of – Live on August 6^th.

The featured a panel of speakers to discuss some key topics, that included Paul Mitchell, Global Lead for Mining & Metals for EY, Indrasen Naidoo, Managing Partner with Integral Supply Networks Advisory, Barry FitzGerald, Australian Mining and Business Commentator and Melinda Cilento, CEO with CEDA.

The forum explored the future of workforce in this post-COVID-19 world, how companies can adapt and change in light of this global pandemic, and the new workforce strategies that will emerge from this worldwide shift.

We also assessed the full impact on mining and resource supply chains – looking at commodity prices and the major disruptions that continue to shake our industry.Ěý

The post Mining in this Brave New World appeared first on 51·çÁ÷Australia & New Zealand News Center.

Yet with uncertainty, comes an opportunity for organisations and people to gain a deeper understanding of how us in being more resilient, flexible, and agile.

Earlier this year, 51·çÁ÷produced a series of virtual industry forums, with the intention of delivering insights into the latest trends, technology innovations, and best practice across several industries:

Retail – Customer-Centric Convenience to Sustainable Shopping:
Listen to Salling Group A/S explain how a single digital core across the whole business is helping it to respond to changing customer demands and drive innovation, efficiency, and growth. for the 15th April.

Ěý

Consumer Products – Driving rapid innovation to meet Customer Demand:
Get insights from Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP on how it is driving rapid digital transformation across every part of its business to be more agile, efficient, and responsive to changing customer demands. for the 15th April

Ěý

Banking – From Behavioural Banking to Smart Loan Origination:
Hear how South African start-up Discovery Bank Limited is creating an exciting new business model with its unique behavioural banking approach. for the 16th April

Ěý

Insurance – From Touchless Claims to Healthy Incentives:
Learn how Discovery Health Group in South Africa is making a real difference to personal well-being by incentivising its customers to make healthier lifestyle choices. for the 16th April

Ěý

Oil and Gas – Be part of Digital Innovation to drive efficiency:
Understand the intelligent technologies at the core of Chevron Corporation’s digital transformation, making it more agile and efficient. for the 16th April

Ěý

Utilities – Future proofing through transformation:
Get key lessons from The United Arab Emirates’, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, on how it maintained its global ranking of number one utility by World Bank for the third consecutive year, with scores of 100% in all Getting Electricity indicators. for the 16th April

Ěý

Public Sector – From Smart States to Citizen-Centred Services:
Hear from industry leaders on how today’s challenging environment, along with the transition into the experience economy, is impeding citizen trust levels in Government. This increasing gap is instilling a need for leaders to explore new approaches in becoming a data-driven digital Governments. for the 21st April

Featuring customer interviews and industry deep dives, these virtual forums are designed to deliver quality learning opportunities to support and inspire ongoing transformation efforts.

Build a Business with Purpose
At 51·çÁ÷we believe in helping the world run better to improve people’s lives, a value which is ever-more important than ever during these unprecedented times. As many organisations, pivot to support our communities and people, we hope the industry forums will help inspire you further, by showcasing tangible ideas around how technology can support you on your journey.

Register today for your industry forum: , , , ,, ,

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