A conversation with Sukhi Gill about meeting the challenge of turning digital transformation ideas into reality

Two years ago DXC launched our London Innovation Centre, a collaborative environment that brings together DXC employees, customers and partners to transform and accelerate innovative solutions in a rapidly changing digital era. Since that time, the Innovation Centre has used emerging digital technologies to solve several challenges across multiple industries, including automotive, manufacturing and public sector.

In this Q&A, Sukhi Gill, vice president and CTO for DXC EMEA, the Middle East and Africa, and a DXC Fellow, discusses how the Innovation Centre is helping business leaders steer their organizations through digital transformations.

Q: What makes the Innovation Centre unique?

A: Our focus on end user needs and understanding the industry business context predominates in the Innovation Centre. Our customers are identifying and prioritizing ideas predominately by collaborating, co-innovating and co-creating with us, and partner and startup ecosystems. We understand that developing complex innovation cannot be done by one or two companies alone. Bringing in ideas and technologies from expert organizations - such as the 50 partners we work with and customers' own partners - is key to developing innovative solutions. Where needed, we also work with our direct competitors to create business outcomes for clients.

The other critical ingredients we believe are necessary to teams innovating is to think differently about shaping digital journeys, ideating for end users and business outcomes, and turning ideas into reality.

As the Innovation Centre focuses on the end user, it is inherently people centric. We consider culture and develop culture canvases and engage DXC leaders in areas such as digital anthropology.

Q: Can you outline the process for "turning ideas into reality"?

A: We explore the customer's business challenges and desires, and if we can identify existing capability, solution components or even closest-fit solutions, we will explore applying these to solve those challenges. If we don't have something that is reusable, then we co-develop an end-to-end solution.

Our prime principle is to experiment, learn and fail fast and we do this by developing wireframes and proofs of value, then an alpha solution, and next a minimum viable product (MVP). Throughout we use agile principles and, in the latest stages, approaches such as DevSecOps.

Our core competencies and investments in capabilities like analytics, application development, security, cloud and IT modernization enable rapid progression to scaled, enterprise-grade, secure and globally available customer solutions. Cloud and mobility are assumed base lines to any solution we demonstrate, but key technology disruptors like AI and ML, conversational Interfaces, virtual reality, IoT and robotics are showcased, too.

We have invested in over 50 proofs of value enabled through new and emerging technology that in several cases have moved to full-scale implementations. What is also important to getting to a successful end result for specific challenges are any of the more than 30 approaches we use, which include business value frameworks, buildathons, and Wardley mapping.

Q: What are some challenges the Innovation Centre has solved for customers?

A: Some examples include developing a Digital Twin of a train station to manage day-to-day operations; helping a police force improve crime scene investigation using a virtual reality environment; and developing a Smart Factory that improves operational equipment effectiveness using IoT, automation, cloud and data solutions.

Our smart factory solution started off as a client request for an IoT-based smart factory. We developed a proof of concept and refined this into a scalable solution. We have now implemented this over several sites and are deploying this for several other customers.

We also have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Peter Scott Morgan, who is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Our work is helping to integrate the key technologies that provide his survival systems and his ability to communicate through eye movement. We have also developed AI that helps him develop artwork through the same eye movements and this is being integrated into a virtual reality headset.

Q: What feedback do you get from customers?

A: Overall, customers find the Innovation Centre is helping them navigate their complex business challenges. It has helped them develop new business models, create new user journeys and apply the latest technologies to create business outcomes. Many of our customers have asked us to help them develop collaborative, problem-solving ways of working in their own organizations.

Importantly, our demonstrations have helped them understand the art of the possible with technology.

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DXC Technology Co. published this content on 20 September 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 07 October 2021 17:36:06 UTC.