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Recently, I had the opportunity and honor to represent Sogeti and Capgemini as a speaker at one of Microsoft’s premier conferences Ignite which, for the first time since the pandemic, was help in person albeit in a hybrid mode to acknowledge how things have changed not just in the world but in the tech itself where they simultaneously supported around 10,000 live attendees (based on anecdotes of the venues and not an official number) all over the world in Seattle and just under a dozen Microsoft centers but also to over to thousands online attendees in remote sessions both live and pre-recorded with most of the them being available for viewing later in the web site for free or as “back packs” which are links to the session content that includes the video, slides and any resources through links and downloads.
My subject was a lofty “nose bleed level” executive talk on Enterprise Productivity with Low Code applied. At first we were under the impression that we were giving a “talk” on the subject while having a chance to extol our capabilities in accelerating folks towards Productivity nirvana with Low Code but it turned out to be more “table” topic as in a “discussion around a table” of the key topic accompanied by a presentation to encourage said discussions. Well, there is a saying about the best laid plans of mice and men and this certainly was no truer on that day when I note that the “Pods” for the meetings are actually open to the main floor with a modicum of soundproofing on the side as walls. In effect, what would have been an “intimate conversation” of professionals becomes a bit of a show where observers and , frankly, competitors can listen in to ones questions and concerns or even contributions for good or ill.
So a challenge it was to get the subject matter across but still entice enough conversation on the topic in under 30 minutes. The key for me was to focus the topic to give the big picture of what we have publicly talked about through white papers and with the community and deep dive one of the matters that we can be sure the audience, regardless of composition could agree on as worthy of sitting for a half hour to at least listen to. The Topic? Governance as a driver of productivity!
The specifics on that will be the subject of a separate (maybe be the next) blog but for now, I am talking about the event, our experience and an interesting observation that will be the backgrounder to the deep dive into it. To wit, The table topic was served by getting a poll of who were in attendance and it was interesting that of the about 70 or more people estimated there or at least paying attention (well over the “20” person round table), about 75% were coming from the Admin side, IT in particular sitting mostly in the front rows, about 20% “Business” or “Managers” who were mostly standing in the area right behind IT … and then about 5% developers who happen to be behind everyone. First thought? A Microcosm of the real world? IT front and center looking for the answers to solve productivity, the developers in the back looking on waiting for their tasks with the business or management between them!
Is this the case with everything, Low Code strategies notwithstanding? Is it a good thing, a bad thing or just the way of the world that we need to consider? What are you, dear reader seeing? It would be good to know?
