Technology: what's going to make a difference in 2019?

Have you ever wondered what the other people in the industry are saying?

The PEX Network often publishes surveys, and sometimes the results deserve a wider audience. Our Technology Excellence (Europe) Survey 2018 was designed to get a snapshot of the industry, and while responses were weighted towards banking, financial services & insurance (24%) and manufacturing (16%), plenty of other industries were represented: gaming, logistics and software development to name but three.

We occasionally throw out a broad question to get the sort of answers that you can't put on a spreadsheet - and in particular, we like to ask the Network to make bold predictions. Combining educated guesses with the wisdom of crowds is, we think, not a bad baseline for an understanding of the concerns and aspirations of our members. 

Technology - the changes that it is bringing in, the companies that are being left behind, and how the industry responds to developments, remains a relevant topic: look at how Uber has changed the ride hailing business, for example, in a way that local government is still struggling to keep on top of with legislation. 

So here are a selection of the answers to our question: 

Which technology will impact operational excellence the most in the next 12 months?

Technology will drive how we interact daily with customers that are more and more connected and require real-time information.    

Blockchain will impact operational excellence the most in the next 12 months.

Sector: Banking, Financial Services & Insurance
Job title: Chief Digital Officer
Organisation size: 1,000 - 10,000 employees  

Link back office systems for greater efficiency and allow customer self service

Customer self service applications

Sector: Local Government
Job title: Director for Performance and Innovation   
Organisation size: Less than 500 

Massive impact AI, Machine Learning, RPA, Blockchain

Sector:  Telecoms and Media
Job title:  Chief Technology Officer  
Organisation size: 10,000 - 50,000

It`s one of the most influential parts of operations at the moment. The organizations that implement technologies the best will come on top in the long run.

RPA will have a huge impact as the hype dies down and people get educated of its capabilities. Also I have seen some promising process mining software.

Sector: SSO in IT services and hardware sales 
Job title: Chief Technology Officer   
Organisation size:500 - 1,000 

By facilitating process surveillance and improvement - speeding up data processing and management

IoT, Machine learning; data processing

Sector: Management consulting, training and certification
Job title: Chief Operating Officer
Organisation size: Less than 500 

Enable shift from incremental improvements to step change

Blockchain and AI

Sector: Banking, Financial Services & Insurance
Job title: Chief Technology Officer 
Organisation size: 50,000+

More automation.

Robotics

Sector: Manufacturing
Job title: Chief Technology Officer
Organisation size: 1,000 - 10,000 

Upcoming possibilities and trends will be key levers in achieving operational/business excellence

Intelligent process modeling to build a seamless business process

Sector:: Public Sector
Job title:Chief Information Officer
Organisation size: 500 - 1,000

The opportunity cost of not focusing on digital is huge. Lack of digital investment can be a costly mistake.

Sector: Publishing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Job tile:Chief Information Officer
Organisation Size: 10,000 - 50,000 

What you do with these responses is up to you - they might form the basis of a conversation that your leadership needs to have, or food for thought before you implement that next strategy change. Let me know if you find this useful - drop an email to the editor.

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