← The Digital Executive
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- [00:00]
A
Foreign welcome to Coruscant Technologies, home of the Digital Executive Podcast. Welcome to the Digital Executive. Today's guest is Avinash Kumar Jha. Avinash Kumar Jha is a highly regarded SAP delivery executive who brings with him an impressive portfolio of over 20 years of extensive experience in managing complex programs tailored for global accounts across a myriad of sectors. His extensive background has significantly contributed to the excellence of the organizations he has worked with. As the head of SAP Services Delivery at Strategic Accounts, Avinash plays a pivotal role in ensuring that all program deliveries are not only successful, but also aligned with the broader organizational goals that drive long term success. In his capacity, he oversees a diverse range of transformation programs, often handling budgets that exceed an impressive budget, $15 million. His leadership has characterized by his ability to skillfully manage large teams ranging from 80 to 120 members, which includes highly skilled professionals such as SAP Enterprise Architects, program managers, technical managers and functional solution architects. These teams are critical to the successful implementation and execution of strategic initiatives and under Avinash's guidance, they are continually motivated to perform at their best.
- [01:27]
B
Well.
- [01:28]
A
Good afternoon Avinash. Welcome to the show.
- [01:30]
B
Good afternoon Brian.
- [01:31]
A
Absolutely awesome to meet you. This is so fun. I appreciate you making the time and I know we're in the same time zone. You're down in Arkansas, I'm here in Kansas City. But again, appreciate the time and I'm ready to dive into your first question. Avinash, with over two decades of experience in managing complex SAP programs across various sectors, how have you seen the landscape of SAP services evolve, particularly with the shift towards cloud computing and digital transformation?
- [01:59]
B
Yeah, Brian, thank you for having me on the show. That's a very good question. As someone who has spent over 20 years navigating the complex world of SAP and its adoption, I have witnessed firsthand the remarkable evolution of SAP services, particularly in the light of recent shift towards cloud computing and digital transformation. This transformation has not not only reshaped how business operate, but has also redefined the role of SAP in driving organizational success. So initially SAP was perceived as complex, costly, on premise solutions. With the advancement in technology, agility, cleverity and the real time, data access has become vital. The introduction of SAP S4 Hana Cloud alongside the business technology platform and rise with SAP marked a significant shift in how the business could leverage SAP's capabilities. These innovations, which came in last 10 years or so, have played a crucial role in helping the clients and given the numerous benefits associated with the subscription based model. For instance, this model not only reduced the financial burden of large asphalt cost, but also allow for a greater flexibility and adaptability in addressing changing business requirements. So by adopting these more flexible solutions, organizations can better concentrate on their core business operations, driving growth and innovations without the overhead of managing complex IT infrastructure. The newfound emphasis on strategic priorities enables companies to allocate resources more efficiently, ultimately maximizing their potential for success in an increasingly dynamic environment. So today, SAP services emphasize innovations and adaptability. Organizations view SAP not only as a tool for efficiency, but as a strategic partner in their digital journey. So overall, in conclusion, if I have to say that the evolution of SAP services past two decades have been nothing short of transformatives with the shift towards the cloud computing and the integration of digital transformation strategies made SAP position sells as a vital enabler of business success in the modern era. So that's how I perceived overall how the SAP services and its offerings has transformed in last decade or so.
- [04:30]
A
Awesome. Thank you so much. You know, in my past career I've worked on the SAP platform, but it was many, many years ago. One thing I did notice and I stayed closely attuned to is the way SAP was able to still stay agile as a large company to focus on innovation, cloud computing, some of the new emerging technologies and be a true business partner with the customers that they serve. And so I think that's awesome and you've certainly highlighted that. Avinash, your leadership is noted for integrating SAP Enterprise Architects, Program Managers, technical managers and functional solution architects. How do you foster collaboration among these diverse roles to achieve seamless program delivery?
- [05:09]
B
Thanks Ben for asking. I was expecting this question and in any forum this type of question comes in on my way if I see it today in the fast paced business environment, right? The integration of various such roles as you mentioned, S3 enterprise architect, program managers, depend manager, functional solution architects and many other content roles like play a crucial role achieving a seamless program delivery. As a leader, I foster collaboration among these diverse roles through three main strategies. Number one establishing a shared vision, number two promoting open communications and number three leveraging individual strengths. So let me give you some more perspective on each of them for the shared reasons, the effective collaboration starts with that, right? We have to give it clear and should have been a compelling of shared visions with the entire team who is working with me. I assure all team members that their program goals and their roles in achieving them by aligning the efforts we foster ownership and accountability. Regular discussions and sessions reinforce this vision with the entire team helping everyone to understand the value of their contribution. So that is the first and foremost thing which I do with my team on a day to day or any large programs at that age. Number two, I mentioned about promoting open communication so open communication is vital for collaborations. I promote a culture where the team members comfortably share their ideas, their feedback through regular check ins and collaborative tools and I also keep an open door policy what happens with this environment. This encourages the open dialogues, address any potential issues early on and foster their innovative solutions, leveraging the team's diverse expertise. So those are the two main pillars and the third pillar is evaluating their individual skills. The resources, what we have in the team take the advantage of their best. So each role contributes their unique skills and perspectives by focus on understanding each member's strength to allocate the task effectively and foster collaboration. For instance, SAP Enterprise Architects offers the insights into system architecture while the functional solution architects understand the business process deeply. Promoting joint problem solving and discussions allow us to harness our team full potential. So in conclusion, if I have to say this first collaboration among the SAP Enterprise architects, program managers, technical managers, functional Solicitor architects play a crucial role for seamless program layer. By establishing shared visions, encouraging open communications and leveraging individual strength, we create a cohesive team capable of overcoming any challenges during the program delivery and driving innovations and success for the team and the organization. We as a team achieve our goals and sometimes we achieve more than what we expect from any account or atm. So that's how I see and that's how we operate in my account and meet my team members.
- [08:10]
A
That's awesome. Thank you. And you did really highlight we focused on my question here, the leadership question around how you operate in such a large environment with all these diverse technical contributors to your team. And you know obviously it will highlight real quick. You know you're established that shared vision, open communication and focus on individual strengths of the team. So I really appreciate that, love to focus on leadership, especially on this podcast. So thank you. And Avinash, as a trusted advisor to C level executives, how do you approach aligning IT strategies with business objectives to ensure that technology initiatives drive tangible value?
- [08:47]
B
That's a very complex situation. At any account, I as a delivery institute, handle IT right or any other delivery would be handling in such a large programming site. So in IT today, rapidly involving business landscape, alignment of IT strategies with overarching business objectives is not just beneficial, it is essential for driving tangible value. As a trusted advisor to seal mixed cities, my approach centers on a few key principles that ensure the technology initiatives are not only aligned with the business goals but also enhance our organizational performance. So number one in the approach perspective is understanding their business goals. So beginning by deeply understanding the organization goals, engage in the open dialects with the C level executives to uncover their visions, challenges and priorities that enables to identify how the technology can drive these objectives. So that's number one. And then subsequently it comes collaborative strategy developments. So after clarifying the business goals, I recommend in all my accounts a collaborative strategy approach. This involves the IT leaders, business leaders co creating technology roadmap align with the unmatched priorities. Forestry and collaboration ensures the IT initiatives are technically sound, relevant. And once these two things happen, the mesh comes prioritizing the initiatives based on the governance. So in that case we assess each project alignment with the business goals, their ROIs and their resource goals. By emphasizing the high impact initiatives, we can optimize the technology investments and foster meaningful change. The third thing after that, once we prioritize it, the fourth one is how to implement this. The design methodologies is a key right in today's changing world. IT provides the facility in project executions and allow the teams to swiftly adapt to evolve the business needs. By iterating on solutions and incorporating the stakeholders feedback, we ensure the IT initiatives align with the changing objectives. Last but not the least, the most important one is making the success and adjusting their strategies. IT is crucial to set metrics for success, assess the impact of IT initiatives on business outcomes. By monitoring the KPIs, we can pinpoint the improvement areas and adjust the strategies accordingly. This feedback loop enhances the accountability and underscores it's role as a strategy partner in achieving the business goal. Aligning the IT strategies with business objectives is a dynamic process that demands continuous collaboration, prioritization and adaptability. As a trusted advisor to three level executives, I'm dedicated to ensuring that technology initiatives not only support but also drive the organization's vision, delivering tangible value and completing sustainable growth. Embracing this approach transformed the IT from a support solution into a strategic enabler of a business success.
- [11:39]
A
Thank you. Very well put. As you know Avinash, I talk to many leaders that are in this space doing similar things to what you do or what I've done in the past. And being that trusted advisor is so important. You know you need to understand the business goals. Obviously engage communication is so important, but you got to engage in dialogue with their top challenges and priorities. Then work with them in co creating that technology roadmap. And as you know, at the end of the day, being a technology leader and executive like yourself, you need to make sure that the technology is aligning with the business objective. So I really appreciate you highlighting Those, Those are amazing. And thank you. Avinash, the last question I have for you today. In light of SAP's recent emphasis on artificial intelligence and cloud services, how do you envision the role of AI in enhancing SAP service delivery and customer satisfaction in the coming years?
- [12:30]
B
That's the question which is coming up in my podium in last couple of years. Because AI has taken a center stage in the current continuing environment, right? So as SAP continues to emphasize and prioritize the development of artificial intelligence technologies and expanded its range of cloud services, the landscape of service delivery and critical structure is not made evolving. It is poised for truly transformative change that promises to refine the industry as a whole in the coming years. SAP business AI is set to play a crucial role in various aspects of business applications. This encompasses enhancing the efficiency of missing critical systems. Providing a deeper level of personalization tailored view to the individual customer needs. Enabling proactive support that anticipates the client comment before they even arise. The integration of AI to the SAP cloud offerings pave a way for more streamlined processes, reducing operational frictions and significantly improving their user experiences. Through advanced data analytics and machine learning algorithms. SAP aims to strategically harness insights that lead to a smart decision mission. This shift not only promises greater efficiency but also foster a more personalized interaction with customers, making them feel valued and understood. Furthermore, the implementation of privacy support systems driven by AI will ensure that issues are identified and resolved before they get escalated, thus enhancing the overall satisfaction trust in the service deployed. As a result, business utilizing SAP innovative solutions, better equipped to navigate to the complexities of a highly competitive market. And it will be a game changer in coming years. How AI is getting embedded into SAP. All business functions and models and customer. We take an advantage of that.
- [14:29]
A
Thank you Avinash. I appreciate that. There's so much to be said about that. Right. We want to leverage that technology while really enhancing that customer experience. And you highlighted a few things that I just want to call out. Enhancing that service and trust with all your services that you're providing to the customer. Obviously always enabling strong customer service and then expanding in the technology side, the machine learning and data analytics services to. To provide a more deeper customer experience and then of course personalize that experience for your customer. That's so important. And Avinash, it was such a pleasure having you on today and I look forward to speaking with you real soon.
- [15:06]
B
Thank you Dan, appreciate it to have on this forum. Thank you.
- [15:10]
A
Bye for now.