To ensure AI success, map your value streams, says Neudesic

AI is no longer a luxury but a necessity. And while necessity is the mother of invention, Australian CIOs may struggle to get everyone in the boardroom, well, on board. Australian organisations are not moving as quickly as their counterparts in preparing for and fully adopting AI for business transformation.

Research from IBM indicates that only 15% of global businesses have established themselves as leaders in AI implementation, while the majority remain in early experimental phases.

One way to address this challenge is with clarity and direction. The top barriers hindering enterprises globally from adopting AI are a lack of a clear AI strategy and investment, highlights the IBM AI in Action report.

What is value stream mapping?

Value stream mapping is a powerful technique making a big difference in this space. Derived from Lean manufacturing principles, this technique essentially creates a visual representation of all the components necessary to deliver a product or service, considering the people, processes, information, and inventory involved from start to finish.

“Value stream mapping lays bare the delays and inefficiencies in a given workflow,” explains John Hanna, Neudesic Australia. “This allows executives, leaders, and teams to work together to find gaps, understand pain points, and build a better AI strategy.”

For utilities in particular, it helps teams identify high-impact opportunities. For example, mapping the time taken for tasks such as rate case submissions can pinpoint where AI can streamline processes. By evaluating metrics like lead time (time to start an action) and cycle time (time spent on productive work), utilities can identify repetitive tasks that can be automated.

“Regularly reviewing the mapped process allows stakeholders to identify outdated approvals or unnecessary steps that slow progress. Knowledge like this is crucial to help utilities face today’s uncertain economic climate,” Hanna remarks.

Such insights also reveal complexities and bottlenecks that may not be apparent when teams only view their part of the process. “By collaborating across departments, organisations can gain valuable insights into how each step impacts the entire workflow so that they can make meaningful, impactful improvements,” Hanna adds.

Implementing AI with confidence

Mapping like this represents the first step towards building a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability, ensuring that utility companies can rapidly respond to evolving regulations and changing market demands. Working with a trusted industry leader is a surefire way to do this confidently.

Global professional services leader Neudesic, an IBM Company, is a proven expert in value stream mapping. Neudesic leverages extensive industry expertise and advanced skills in Microsoft Azure, AI, data engineering, and analytics to help businesses meet the growing demands of AI.

The company’s approach, which comprises four pillars, helps organisations to transform legacy systems into AI-ready environments:

• People: Its diverse array of internal experts spanning industries, skillsets, and Microsoft Azure and OpenAI solutions help clients address a wide spectrum of business challenges for any type of organisation

• Approach: It achieves results not only by implementing Microsoft and OpenAI solutions, but also by addressing today’s challenges, identifying tomorrow’s opportunities, and designing the best path forward

• Technology: It focuses on innovation to develop solutions that meet clients’ needs while accelerating time to value

• Expertise: With 20 years of expertise in Microsoft’s stack, it offers clients expert knowledge to tackle critical IT challenges and unlock new opportunities

Armed with insights through mapping, CIOs can start with small, quick successes and therefore gain stakeholder support early on. For instance, using AI to automate document preparation can cut processing time from hours to minutes. One utility that Neudesic worked with recently saved nearly $1 million by streamlining less than 40 documents.

Hanna goes on to share three tips for CIOs to develop an effective AI strategy.

First, set clear objectives and success metrics. Agree on clear, measurable goals for AI projects that match business priorities and ensure everyone understands the desired results. Understanding customer behaviour is key to shaping these goals as it helps businesses adapt to changes, connect better with customers, and increase revenue.

Next, encourage cross-functional collaboration. Involve teams from various departments, such as IT, operations, and finance, from the outset. This ensures the AI models are selected and refined to meet project requirements effectively.

Finally, apply the “Goldilocks” principle when evaluating AI projects. Choose use cases that balance complexity, feasibility, and value. Consider factors like data type, problem scope, resource availability, and interpretability.

Value stream mapping isn’t just a tool. It’s the flashlight guiding you through a labyrinth of inefficiencies and untapped potential. With clarity and direction, Australian organisations can leap forward from aspiration to action.

With the right strategy and partners like Neudesic, you can ensure your AI journey doesn’t just keep pace but sets the standard.

Learn more about how Neudesic can help Australian organisations go forward in AI, confidently.