“Reality Bytes: Demystifying Digital Transformation” with Waqqas Mahmood of BakerTilly (Washington, USA)

"First figure out the 'why', not from a organisational
perspective but 'why' for a particular business process, and THEN
figure out what technology - if any - will be needed to transform
and automate that."


GBD62.  Waqqas Mahmood leads
Advanced Technology & Intelligent Automation at Baker Tilly
Virchow Krause, LLP. He tells Kyle Hannan (AICPA & CIMA, UK)
about the basic jargon of RPA and AI, why you should understand
the tech before you put it all together, and how to
identify the goals of the digital
transformation. He also outlines his "3 Fs" process for fighting
the factors of failure.


 


TALKING POINTS:


RPA and AI: the jargon, the risks and the ‘gotchas’.

Don’t chase the bots (the tech). Understand it before you put
it all together.

From AI and RPA to IA ‘Intelligent Automation’.

How does innovation rise above the red tape?

How to innovate in a profession that’s often perceived as
having a change-averse internal culture?

What the jargon means, not just in the correct technical
abbreviations but in the potential opportunities for a company.

Why there are times you should NOT put the customer first
(not when you’re testing). Start with the back-end and get that
right before you roll it out to clients.

Digital anxiety (personal and team’s)

Identifying the goals of the digital transformation (think
about the ‘Why? T” rather than just the IT!

Understand the 3 Fs so that teams can Fight The “Factors of
Failure”



 


OUR GUEST:


Waqqas Mahmood is head of Advanced Technology &
Intelligent Automation at Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP
(Washington) and was previously their Director of Innovation.
Prior to that, he was Manager, Advisory - Digital & Emerging
Technologies for EY in New York, a co-founder and Board Member of
Cambridge Global Advisory, and even worked as a Senior Manager
for Research In Motion, makers of the corporate world's original
favourite mobile device The Blackberry. A PEO-qualified Engineer,
he has an MBA in General Management from Harvard University,
where he was Vice-President of their E-Business Society. Connect
with him on LinkedIn, or Twitter as @waqqas_mahmood.


 


LINKS:


Waqqas mentioned BakerTilly's corporate 'Insights' page here.

Read about navigating digital transformation on the AICPA
blog page.

Find out more about the CGMA's analysis of the
digital skills gap facing today's finance
professionals. 



 


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