siliconindia | | June - July 20195C O NT E N T Syears as we replace our fleets with au-tonomous trucks and lifts. We already have high turnover and shortages in this area and it may get worse as fewer people enter the profession. The CIO's role here is to accelerate the testing and integration of these vehicles as fast as possible. In this case the mes-sage is to implement faster, to push outside the comfort zone. Drones, as sexy as autonomous vehicles to some, promise to change how we count inventory, how we track trailers and trucks and, of course, how we deliver material. Drone usage will likely be automated--no pilots need-ed. For example, if we can fly drones throughout a warehouse to conduct inventory, then the inventory control function radically changes. Not only will we not need inventory counters, we will need fewer analysts. Frequent counting via drones ensures greater accuracy and, coupled with AI inven-tory algorithms, reduces the number of analysts needed. We'll need good analysts as we get drone flights under control; the ethical approach is to talk to the analysts about how drones cou-pled with AI will affect their jobs. Blockchains in supply chain are coming, and not just in the form of payment options. The use of block-chains to guarantee traceability and assure quality is already being test-ed. Blockchains change how a quality department functions; much of these folks spend time reporting, and block-chains significantly reduce the need for documentation. QA teams will see the opportunities and threats of block-chains immediately. We have been conditioned to care-fully avoid telling people their jobs are going to be lost, until the last minute when the loss is inevitable. With so much change coming, the idea that we'll keep things a secret among a small group of implementers seems impractical. The tactics of implemen-tation and rollout demand participa-tion from our operations colleagues. We need their input to be successful and that requires our transparency to paint the complete picture, including job loss. We have been taught that if we tell people their jobs are going away, many will leave earlier than we want. They will see what's coming and take their own actions to find new work, leaving the company short of manpower before the technology is ready to implement. Many groups have used a `stay' bonus or other incentives to keep people in position until the new project really makes them redundant. However, we shouldn't think about these projects as huge milestone events; the changes will happen gradually.Incremental improvements are easier than the horrific `big bang' cu-tovers we have all grown to dread, and most IT groups, and increasingly non-IT teams, develop and run projects us-ing Agile. Being Agile means people can see what's coming. New technolo-gy installed in small increments forces transparency. Instead of shying away from the conversation about what's to come or hiding behind the fear of peo-ple leaving early, we should embrace the conversation. Agile allows for de-viations and adaptation to a master plan and, in engaging employees, the adaptations will likely be better and more widely accepted. Equally, hav-ing these conversations will keep peo-ple engaged longer­while most people fear losing their jobs, they also want to be part of a solution.There are always those who will not participate, who will leave ear-ly because of fear. But this negative group isn't likely to be much help with implementation anyway. The chal-lenge for leaders is to continue to com-municate, no matter what the level of engagement, and hope that levels of engagement can change for the better. Engagement, even if it means discuss-ing job loss before we are completely ready, is better than keeping pending changes a secret. This is our chance to make our-selves easy to follow. Our chance, as CIOs and IT leaders, to make a differ-ence depends not only on our ability to execute on technical projects but also on our willingness to engage and assist our colleagues. I believe we have an ethical duty to the peo-ple we work with to explain what is coming, to help them understand the future and the threats. As CIOs, we have the duty of describing technolo-gy to our Board, executive colleagues and the rest of the company, custom-ers and vendors. And, we also need to extend our communication obli-gation to those directly impacted by our work. 211815HAVE WE LOST TRUST IN AI-ENABLED MACHINES?Sreekar Krishna, Managing Director - Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Innovation, KPMG USIN MY OPINION08Anjan Deb, GM-IT (CIO), The Great Eastern ShippingKevin Glynn, VP & CIO, DSC LogisticsRama Dhuwaraha, Associate Vice Chancellor & CIO, University of North Texas System152162Need and Importance of IT in the Shipping IndustryColin Boyd, VP & CIO, Joy Global18Data Analytics: New Edge for SuccessTECHNOLOGY CHANGES TOSUPPLY CHAINS Demand good leadershipFocusing on Operation Excellence to Drive Results
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