Digital Transformation Leadership Training

“THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE” LECTURE SERIES

Digital Transformation Education is a Must.

Innovative companies are integrating digital technology into all areas of their business, resulting in fundamental changes to how they operate and how they deliver value to customers. It is a cultural change that requires organizations to continually challenge the status quo, innovate with technology, experiment often, and perhaps fail once in a while in pursuit of ultimate promise to achieving radical improvements. It’s a survival issue for many while it creates tremendous new opportunities for others to become the next Tesla, Uber or Airbnb.

Smartbridge’s digital transformation coaching delivers education in 1-hour increments to forward-thinking companies on topics vital to digital transformation strategies.

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn what is possible through case studies, demos, and content tailored to your needs.

Digital Transformation Leadership Training
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives.
It is the one that is most adaptable to change.
Charles Darwin

Transformational Talk Topics:

Business Modeling and Optimization

Companies can solve complex business problems using computer simulation models, and gain insight into possible solutions.

We’ll show you how to automate a company, improving its effectiveness and efficiency in the right way. By identifying opportunities to automate, you can create algorithms that replace human tasks with machines (and repurpose those humans for more valuable work). Eliminate unnecessary costs.

Using natural language technologies, enable business process efficiencies. People can interact with systems and data with spoken language and make decisions with agility.

Apply mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational business decision-makers to achieve mutual win-win results and avoid zero-sum scenarios.

We encounter many companies that all ask us the same thing: “How can our company produce the same kind of analytical solutions to complex problems as Smartbridge does for its clients?”

Over the years we’ve learned a thing or two about what it takes to build analytical teams inside of organizations, as well as how to equip them for success. In this talk we will provide helpful guidance on how to grow an analytical function within the firm.

Sensors and other small computing devices have been placed on people, machines, home appliances, vehicles—even inside of baseball bats! All of these devices are connected to the web, forming a ubiquitous network of sensor data, often referred to as the Internet of Things, or IoT for short. But how does a company begin to exploit such data? Aren’t data volumes overwhelming as it is?

In this talk we will discuss how to “do” IoT correctly—getting the signal clearly from the noise by harnessing the valuable science of edge computing. We will describe a blueprint for an IoT strategy that is grounded in business problem solving.

Our most popular request for business modeling is demand forecasting. It seems that companies everywhere are eager to avoid being blindsided by unexpected increases or decreases in product or service volume. Don’t be caught unaware—learn the straightforward science of building forecasting models that provide insight into the future direction of customer or industry behavior.

When was the last time your favorite restaurant ran out of that special meal that you really wanted? Why did stores sell out of that specific toy for your kids at Christmas? Ever notice cases and cases of overstocked items sold at 80% off?

Industry after industry has failed to adequately understand the science behind customer demand coupled with supply chain dynamics. In this talk we will demystify the reasons why so many companies struggle to accurately match supply with demand, and offer lessons to mitigate the surges.

Every business of any size has an IT capability. Often this is managed without regard to the value of the IT assets—IT is simply seen as a necessary investment to carry out the routine functions of the company. However if we could systematically and objectively measure the value of each and every IT asset, we would have a much clearer way to think about an optimal IT system, in the same way that factories are precisely sized and configured to optimize the production of goods.

Excellent research at institutions like MIT in recent years have begun to shed light on how to measure the value of IT assets. In this talk we will delve into these methods to show companies how they can use these to calculate the value of their own IT organizations.

Transform a company by rethinking and reimagining how it could work with digitally connected enterprise (customers, partners, things, and systems) with intelligence from the data-driven decision making processes.

Learn from professional sports about how analytics has transformed the way sports teams organize themselves, select players, establish strategies and win.

Networks are everywhere, even if they are not obvious. Modeling networks from supply chains to workflows to people connections helps us understand how to harness them for creating value.

Many times, we use simulations to capture an important function inside a company, or perhaps to recreate the entire company in a computer model. Once complete, using these simulations in a “game-like” fashion to role play various strategies under a variety of conditions has become known as Management Flight Simulations, akin to the machines that airline pilots use to certify their knowledge throughout their careers. Management Flight Simulators are a powerful learning experience for corporate teams wishing to institutionalize and “end-to-end” view of the company. In this talk we will present several case studies we’ve done to illustrate the power of the MFS experience.

Machine Learning is a popular and powerful technique for teaching a piece of software to develop an algorithm to predict the behavior of a system. These platforms have been used in applications ranging from predictive maintenance to political elections to sales forecasts. But Machine Learning is tricky to apply in the real world. In our talk we will bring Machine Learning to a practical level so that the audience can gain a clear understanding as to how it works, and the pitfalls along the way.

Most companies operate in fiercely competitive industries. Yet, we spend very little time analyzing our competitors scientifically. The fastest growing sector in business modeling these days involves the creation of simulation models specifically directed at those companies that compete against us. The exercise of doing this is valuable in and of itself.

Learn how to use Game Theory and Scenario Planning together to create a comprehensive view on competitive behavior.

The human brain beats every computer ever devised on one thing alone: pattern recognition. This is why we need to design our systems and models to allow the human brain to do what it does best: spot the patterns in a complex business system as it unfolds in front of us. Simulation models can do this, but they must possess a rich visualization that mimics reality as closely as possible.

The science of visualization is steeped in information design principles. In this talk we will describe these principles and how to apply them so that companies can create compelling and accurate visual representations of real systems for the purpose of complex problem-solving.

Companies are moving away from traditional reporting in favor of analytical dashboards in order to access and understand their data more easily. However, creating dashboards is a custom process as everyone has different needs, audiences, and expectations.

Learn the best practices for migrating your current processes and data into functional dashboards for your stakeholders.

When implementing new technologies or services, often, organizations can lose sight of their overall goal of achieving their intended business outcomes. In this talk, we will walk through steps to build your desired business outcomes and how to measure them to ensure success.

We can define other topics or customize specific talks to meet your needs.

Looking to conduct activities for a larger group? Consider a corporate hackathon to inspire innovation!

While we possess significant expertise within a number of areas, Smartbridge has been able to plant seeds that should allow us to become a better, stronger company by facilitating the thought process leading to improved performance, both individually and corporately.

The enthusiasm and energy that Smartbridge brings to their presentations has been infectious and creates an excellent learning experience; no one leaves without something to think about.

Ken Bedsole, Oil States Energy Services

REQUEST A CUSTOMIZED EXECUTIVE LECTURE SERIES FOR YOUR COMPANY

ABOUT YOUR SPEAKERS

Sri Raju
Sri RajuChief Executive Officer

Raj is the founder and CEO of Smartbridge; he started the company in 2003 with the mission to provide technology advisory, strategy, and consulting services to help mid and large businesses accelerate their growth. His vision was to create a highly talented team of consultants that partner with clients as their trusted advisers to deliver value every day. Raj leads the organization and its transformation into what it is today – a powerful digital transformation enabler with services such as robotic process automation (RPA), data management & analytics, machine learning/AI, and cloud modernization on the Azure platform. He advises client executives on business and technology strategies to modernize their systems and capabilities.

Before launching Smartbridge, Raj held leadership positions at Arthur Andersen Business Consulting, leading advanced technology strategies and implementation for clients in the oil & gas, retail, healthcare, and services industries. He held P&L responsibilities and managed the Gulf Coast Advanced Technology services group in the consulting division working closely with the finance transformation, HCM, and supply chain functional teams.

Raj is a 35+ year industry veteran and has BE and MS degrees in Computer Science.

Steve Senterfit
Steve SenterfitPresident

Steve Senterfit is President of Smartbridge, leading the firm’s strategy, sales, service delivery and day-to-day operations. Prior to his appointment to President, Steve served as Managing Director of Digital Innovation where he focused on helping clients simplify their digital transformation journey through digital innovation, data and analytics, robotic process automation, intelligent content management, and systems modernization.

Steve has over 30 years of experience in management and technology consulting, spanning strategy through implementation and execution. He has spent 20 years in energy/oil and gas, 10 years in financial services, and has also worked in various industries, like restaurants and construction.

Steve is best described as a “player-coach” and understands the importance of empowering and mentoring individuals, leveraging the strength of the organization, and knowing when to follow vs. lead to obtain team goals and objectives. He is committed to the education of our next generation of professionals and supporting STEMs efforts in the Houston Metro Area.

Steve has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Lander University.