The Year of Change

Dec 23rd, 2020 in  Blog

Five business imperatives to embrace in 2021.

It used to be “business as usual,” then the pandemic hit. You’ve read, watched, and talked about the pandemic for the last nine months. However, next year, we need to focus on the key lessons the country and the world learned from the devastating effects caused by COVID-19. Our team at Intelliware reflected on the challenges we faced, our clients, and our families, to offer these five imperatives that all business owners and managers should prioritize in 2021.

Five imperatives for businesses of all sizes

1. Agility is resiliency

Our business world changed over the course of a weekend. The early impacts of the pandemic were starting to become clear the week before the March break. Things escalated quickly, and on the weekend of March 14th, with many of us scattered across the province and in different countries, we co-ordinated to make the decision to switch to 100% remote operations. And then, thanks to our grassroots team structures, solid technical infrastructure and plain hard work, we were able to operationally make it happen across dozens of projects, customers and our entire technical staff. We managed that transformation in under 48 hours. That’s pretty much the definition of agile.

We were ahead of the curve. At the time, little did we know that weekend’s work would transform us forever. We’ve seen many benefits of remote work, and we’re figuring out how we’ll be “remote first” long after this is all over.

That was our organizational agility, but underneath it all, it was our underlying agile development processes that allowed us to continue to deliver without a hitch. Sprints, standups, automated tests, CI/CD, cloud-based tools and the Intelliware Way all supported the radical work shift.

If you are not using agile development processes now, you’d better start, or risk falling further behind.

2. Double-down on digital

In 2020, the digital transformation of our economy went into overdrive, forcing every organization to accelerate their modernization.

So, what of companies still sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the pandemic to end? Preparing for a restart of the economy is smart planning. By acting now to double down on your digital transformation, your organization can emerge best poised to capitalize on the economic upswing that will likely come with widespread vaccination.

What a difference a year makes. Although the pace of modernization steadily increased over the past decade, it has more than been ratcheted up in 2020. Now is the time to modernize and replatform to set you up for aneven more digital future.

3. Pivot don’t panic

Approach makes all the difference.The right partnership can help any business pivot effectively and enable a successful reinvention that leverages your organization’s insights and innovative strategies. The right partner will also provide additional benefits, such as providing valuable training to your employees, which will enhance your internal capabilities and confidence to deliver and amplify your organizational resilience.

Technology choices are also vital. The right technology solutions for your organization can help manage risk by offsetting environmental, social and economic uncertainties and ensuring the continued delivery of products and services to your customers. 

For example, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Internet of Things technologies now enable organizations to use their data in exciting ways. A strong partnership with agile developers can help you identify which technologies are most suited to your context and apply them effectively to deliver value.

4. Keep living your culture

In 2020, we learned about the importance of people in our lives—personally and professionally—and how important it is to avoid taking anyone for granted. Although difficult, this past year inspired employees and communities at large to support one another and to allow for real leadership to shine.

At Intelliware, we introduced new practices this year to allow for relationship-building, brainstorming, and other internal and external activities to help your work family stay connected, engaged, and informed. From virtual whiteboarding to remote working solutions, agile development best practices accelerate modernization and mitigate risk, but they also help engage and inspire employees across organizations to feel connected to their company’s pace of change.

5. Focus on the positive

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” –Aristotle Onassis

As 2020 wraps up, we look to a promising new year. It represents a fresh start for some entrepreneurs and an opportunity for existing organizations to continue their digital journeys. Employers can actively inspire their teams by showing great leadership and maintaining faith in the limitless possibilities available today thanks to innovative technologies.

Initiate a project of strategic business importance and get a real perspective on what’s possible for your organization. Start small. Take one critical system in need of rehabilitation or replatforming and commit.

Replatforming is an opportunity to start something new and wonderful in 2021. Double-down on your digital journey and partner with experts that really understand how to pivot your business, modernize your app, and invigorate your organization’s culture.

The Intelliware promise

Tested and refined through hundreds of successful enterprise software development projects, the Intelliware Approach is how we deliver on our promise to clients. Time and again, our experiences remind us that there are many ways to get there, but in the end, Delivery matters.™

Learn more about our discovery process. Contact us today.

Stay resilient, positive, and safe

From everyone at Intelliware, we wish you happy holidays and a safe and prosperous New Year.