A lot of the work related to a workshop like that is truly performed earlier than the workshop even begins. To cite one in every of my favourite inventors and statesman:
“By failing to organize, you’re getting ready to fail.” — Benjamin Franklin
Purposeful Areas Analysis and Alignment
Relying in your degree of business information, be ready to place in a whole lot of time on pre-workshop analysis. There are a number of subjects that must be addressed earlier than you’ll be able to draft the define for the workshop.
- A high-level understanding of the business: Who’re the main gamers, what are the important thing drivers, what are the traits, and what are the present challenges
- Purposeful enterprise areas: Completely examine what are the important thing practical enterprise areas for the enterprise you’re working with after which do a deep dive in every of those
Attempt to section the practical areas one degree all the way down to get a extra granular view. Utilizing an power utility for example, a typical listing of practical areas may very well be just like the listing beneath:
- Energy Technology and Power Assets Administration: Conventional Energy Vegetation, Renewable Power (Photo voltaic, Wind, Hydro), Distributed Technology, Power Storage Programs, Technology Optimization
- Grid Administration and Asset Upkeep: Transmission Networks, Distribution Networks, Sensible Grid Applied sciences, Predictive Upkeep, Outage Administration, Asset Lifecycle Administration
- Buyer Base Administration, Advertising and marketing, and Gross sales: Buyer Service, Billing and Funds, Buyer Relationship Administration (CRM), Advertising and marketing Campaigns, Gross sales Operations, Buyer Analytics
- Power Buying and selling, Market Operations, and Danger Administration: Power Procurement, Wholesale Buying and selling, Worth Forecasting, Market Evaluation, Hedging Methods, Danger Evaluation
- Provide Chain Administration and Operational Effectivity: Procurement, Provider Administration, Stock Administration, Logistics, Course of Optimization, Price Discount
- Finance, Compliance, and Regulatory: Monetary Planning, Budgeting, Accounting, Regulatory Compliance, Auditing, Authorities Relations, Coverage Advocacy
- Human Assets and Workforce Administration: Expertise Acquisition, Coaching and Improvement, Worker Engagement, Efficiency Administration, Workforce Planning, Well being and Security
- Data Know-how, Cybersecurity, and Innovation: IT Infrastructure, Cybersecurity Measures, Knowledge Analytics, Enterprise Intelligence, Innovation Applications, Analysis and Improvement (R&D), Rising Applied sciences (IoT, AI, Blockchain)
- Environmental Sustainability and Company Social Accountability: Emission Discount Initiatives, Sustainability Reporting, Environmental Compliance, Renewable Power Certificates, Group Engagement, CSR Applications
You’ve gotten now accomplished the primary a part of the analysis and will, ideally, align with the consumer as as to whether this listing is what they wish to concentrate on or in the event that they wish to broaden on some areas whereas excluding others. The above construction will assist you to specify the agenda for the workshop in additional element and likewise assist steer the remainder of the analysis for the workshop.
Purposeful Space Deep Dives
After aligning on the construction, we are able to begin doing deep dives into every of the subcategories to grasp the place and the way AI and information science is being utilized to generate worth. That is normally the place I have to spend probably the most time on analysis.
I usually begin out with particular queries, like: “How is AI being utilized in energy era, particularly in wind era?” Outcomes for this question may yield the next subjects:
- Use of AI and quantum computing to higher perceive the right way to plan and optimize turbine location in onshore wind farms
- Time sequence modelling for fault detection and diagnostics for generators
- Time sequence modelling for predictive upkeep for generators
If obtainable, attempt to additionally quantify the potential worth that comes from utilizing the expertise. For instance, if Equinor, an power firm, was capable of scale back unplanned downtime of wind generators by 40% after implementing a predictive upkeep undertaking, how does this translate into financial worth? How would this instance translate into your particular enterprise in the event you for instance had a wind farm with 1000 wind generators? The quantification side is vital as a result of it’s going to assist in the later work of prioritizing initiatives.
At this analysis stage, additionally it is OK to suppose outdoors the field and maybe discover how a selected expertise may very well be borrowed from one business to a different. Many applied sciences begin out being utilized in one business after which transition into others with comparable practical areas. For instance, information pushed churn administration began out being utilized by the telco and banking firms however was shortly adopted in virtually all industries.
Drafting the Agenda
With an understanding of the business, practical enterprise areas, and technological prospects, it’s time to draft an agenda for the workshop.
For a two-day workshop, I might advocate a minimum of half-hour for an introduction to current the workshop and its targets. I might additionally schedule time to assessment pre-workshop findings, as this provides the contributors insights into their collective a priori views, expectations and prioritizations. The remainder of the workshop we might then be dedicated to classes on the chosen practical areas. Lastly, finish the workshop with a abstract of the subjects lined and subsequent steps.
A 2-day workshop with 9 practical space deep dives, may very well be deliberate utilizing the construction beneath:
Day 1
9:00 AM — 9:30 AM: Welcome and Introduction
9:30 AM — 10:00 AM: Assessment of Pre-Workshop Findings
10:15 AM — 11:30 PM: Session 1
1:00 PM — 2:15 PM: Session 2
2:30 PM — 3:45 PM: Session 3
4:00 PM — 5:15 PM: Session 4
5:15 PM — 5:30 PM: Day 1 Wrap-Up
Day 2
9:00 AM — 9:15 AM: Recap of Day 1
9:15 AM — 10:30 AM: Session 5
10:45 AM — 12:00 PM: Session 6
1:00 PM — 2:15 PM: Session 7
2:30 PM — 3:45 PM: Session 8
4:00 PM — 5:15 PM: Session 9
5:15 PM — 5:45 PM: Last Wrap-Up and Subsequent Steps