Thoughts from the Big Chair

Some useful digital transformation insights with a very good overview from executive perspective - this would be my view on the book. Being a C-level involves a lot and some important trends, tech developments and industry innovations can be out of scope. This book has it all on digital transformation and modern project management methodoligies, ideas on processes and technological changes that business may need to go through. Worth reading.

I want to thank the author, Russell Haworth; publisher Forbes Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book. what follows is my own original review.

This is a timely read with so much happening in the world of technology with artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of things, etc. It is a business book with a clear premise--to help board leaders, CEOs and other officers up to speed on digital transformation, a process every company needs to address in a strategic manner. The book also has utility for anyone who wants to know more about these fundamental shifts happening now.

It is an easy book to read in a weekend or whenever you can devote a few minutes to the task. The book consists of 11 chapters spread across five sections: Evaluate, Migrate, Accelerate, Adapt, and Predict. Chapters are for the most part equivalent in size and contains adequate source/reference material. Each chapter concludes with a list of 5 questions about the topic as a way of summation.

Readers will have certain areas they may be more interested in than others; for me I was excited to learn more about artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and the challenges of cybersecurity. The material is just enough to help you understand the topics without getting bogged down and over your head. The chapters and subjects are a good starting point.

Some of the writing gets a bit technical, and there are some chapters where readers may want more (for me it was the chapter on digital leadership) but again, this is meant to be a primer to introduce and spur action. To that end the author does a good job.

If interested in this area definitely worth the 2-3 hours to read this handy compendium of information.

Many companies have undergone digital transformations like the cloud, artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc. to overhaul their businesses and drive growth. However there are still many key decision-makers, including senior leaders and board members, simply don’t understand these technologies, how they work and the possibilities from them. So they fail to capitalize on them, putting their business at risks. The book goes further, offering useful information for anyone who seeks to launch a digital transformation. This is information that the author has gathered and applied during his twenty-plus years as a tech leader. Anyone interested in spearheading their own digital transformation effort will benefit from reading this book. What I like this book for is the suggestion about having these people learn in lay terms to be better decision makers using technology.