Elizabeth Larson

• How is your presentation relevant to the theme of this year’s BBC conference: Innovation in the Fast Lane?

In today’s fast-paced world, it is hard to be innovative without some form of digital technology to support innovative strategies. My presentation is about how business analysts can help organizations through their digital transformations. Because there are a myriad of issues and pitfalls that make digital transformation challenging and which cause many such initiatives to fail, completing this transformation “in the fast lane” is fraught with difficulties. This presentation explores the relationship between innovation and the digital world, business agility, and project agility and how to explore common pitfalls. In other words, why digital transformation is almost synonymous with innovation in the fast lane, and how BAs can help organizations get there. (all this in 50 minutes!)

• What are your top tips for companies or employees wishing to innovate?

Top tips for innovation (not covered in my presentation, but are tips to innovate)

1. Understand the importance of having BAs on their Agile projects
2. Recognize the huge commitment the organization needs to make in order for true innovation to take place
3. Understand the concepts related to lean start-ups, which apply to both small start-up companies as well as large organizations

Top tips for innovation (covered in my presentation)

1. BAs, learn as much as you can about digital transformation and the supporting digital technologies
2. Build partnerships with strategic decision-makers
3. Think strategically, but be conversant in the details of the digital world