People need clear business processes that empower them to navigate the disruption and change that will lead to a new business model. They need engaged executive leadership, clear targets and measures for success, plus a transformation plan to bridge the gap between where the organization is today and the C-suite’s vision of the future.

Remember that people need accurate and timely data to provide the insight to operate a reliable and safe plant. They need a foundation that’s built to last and can be quickly adapted to deal with external threats or new opportunities. They need an agile organization.

When I was first confronted with the possibility that an asset-intensive organization could be agile, I said “You’re kidding!”. I researched the classic definition of agile. Then I understood its application to the asset-intensive world.

If you examine this definition from a 30,000 foot level, agility stems from two things — the inside-out view: understand where you are and where you are going, define measures and targets, monitor progress, analyze results, then adjust your processes to deliver on the targets if you’re out of range — and the outside-in view that monitors threats that prompt business leaders to respond quickly and create a new inside-out reality. That’s what an agile asset-intensive organization does.

To do this effectively, business leaders must understand how everything is connected and impacts everything else. Bottlenecks and limitations must be eliminated.

According to Gartner, a platinum IT research and advisory firm —

Agility, the ability of an organization to sense environmental change and to respond efficiently and effectively to it, is more than a buzzword. Properly understood, IT-enabled agility is an emerging management discipline, which will be practiced differently across an industry or an enterprise.

How do we navigate this complex moon scape? Build a firm foundation and create a path to guide your organization and its people on its journey to fulfill its vision and begin the journey to Industry 4.0. The most effective and powerful way to accomplish these goals is to ARCHITECT!