AndPlus Digital Transformation Podcast

In This Podcast Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice, speaks with Amjed Al-Zoubi, CIO of Amerisure, about his role as a transformation leader and the experiences and insights gained during his transformation journey. In their conversation, they discuss a wide range of transformation leadership topics: Defining organizational transformation Influencing and working with teams Dealing with failures and successes Gaining peer and leadership buy-in Engaging the organization in transformation The role of the CIO in transformation …and more   Podcast Speakers Host: Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice. Guest: Amjed Al-Zoubi, CIO Amerisure Amjed is a strategist and business leader with more than 20 years of experience delivering results by bridging the business-technology gap. Amjed joined Amerisure in 2018 and currently serves as CIO with accountability for IT, Innovation, Business Agility, and the PMO. Prior to joining Amerisure, Amjed held diverse roles at USAA, CUNA Mutual Group, and PwC, all of which allowed him to address business challenges and devise strategies from multiple perspectives. Under his leadership, Amerisure is undergoing an agile transformation, a digital transformation, and is modernizing the IT department, improving solution delivery and business outcomes. About the "Leading in the Gap" Series Leading transformation is challenging work and for companies undergoing transformation, everyone is living in the gap – the gap that exists between the current state and the desired future state (i.e., where the organization aspires to be.) The responsibility of transformation leaders is to lead through this gap and bring people and organizations along the way. This brings special leadership challenges. In the “Leading in the Gap” series you will hear from transformation leaders working in various industries and explore their thoughts and experiences about the challenges of leading in the gap, what has worked for them, lessons learned along the way, and what they wish someone had told them to better prepare for the role of leading in the gap.

In This Podcast Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice, speaks with Dr. Shelley Johnson, Dean at Florida A&M University (FAMU) School of Nursing. In their conversation, they discuss a wide range of transformation leadership topics: Digital transformation at the FAMU School of Nursing Transformation challenges during the pandemic Tips for communicating during transformations Motivating people over the long haul Practicing self-care in the transformation journey …and more About the "Leading in the Gap" Series Leading transformation is challenging work and for companies undergoing transformation, everyone is living in the gap – the gap that exists between the current state and the desired future state (i.e., where the organization aspires to be.) The responsibility of transformation leaders is to lead through this gap and bring people and organizations along the way. This brings special leadership challenges. In the “Leading in the Gap” series you will hear from transformation leaders working in various industries and explore their thoughts and experiences about the challenges of leading in the gap, what has worked for them, lessons learned along the way, and what they wish someone had told them to better prepare for the role of leading in the gap. Podcast Speakers Host: Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice. Guest: Dr. Shelley Johnson holds a bachelor's and master's degree in nursing, and a doctorate in educational leadership. Most recently, she graduated from Northwestern University's, Kellogg School of Management's Executive MBA program in 2019. She has completed certificate programs from Harvard University in educational leadership and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and a Community Participatory Research Fellowship at University of Pennsylvania. She is dedicated to life-long learning, and she has created, taught, and led undergraduate and graduate programs for more than 18 years. She currently serves as the Dean and Professor at the Florida A & M University, School of Nursing and she is an independent consultant for Kairos Solutions, LLC. Her specialties include higher education, leadership, curriculum and instruction, assessment, and community health. She is certified as a nurse executive, nurse educator, and as a comprehensive systematic reviewer. She has participated in research related to a variety of topics including healthy educational environments, health disparities, cultural diversity, advocacy, leadership, and nursing education. She also conducts presentations and workshops on these topics to educational and business groups.

In This Podcast Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice, speaks with Kate Kelley, Chief Human Capital Officer, U.S. Army Futures Command. In their conversation they discuss a wide range of transformation leadership topics: The role of Army Futures Command in transforming the U.S. Army The challenges of transformation that are similar for the U.S. Army and for corporations People being the Army's #1 transformation priority Influencing and winning hearts & minds during transformation Getting comfortable with ambiguity …and more About the "Leading in the Gap" Series Leading transformation is challenging work and for companies undergoing transformation, everyone is living in the gap – the gap that exists between the current state and the desired future state (i.e., where the organization aspires to be.) The responsibility of transformation leaders is to lead through this gap and bring people and organizations along the way. This brings special leadership challenges. In the “Leading in the Gap” series you will hear from transformation leaders working in various industries and explore their thoughts and experiences about the challenges of leading in the gap, what has worked for them, lessons learned along the way, and what they wish someone had told them to better prepare for the role of leading in the gap.   Podcast Speakers Host: Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice. Guest: Katharine Kelley (Kate) is the Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO), U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC), Austin, TX. She serves as the senior advisor on all aspects of Human Resources providing overall direction, guidance, theories and principles of sound Human Capital management. In this role, she is responsible for transformation strategies that align engagement, talent management, and workforce planning tailored to the Army Modernization Enterprise. She leads an empowered team of Human Resources professionals supporting a workforce of 20,000 located in both the United States and overseas. Kate has served in connection with the U.S. Army for more than 20 years, from active duty as an officer to civilian to contractor, and her distinguished career has resulted in numerous honors and medals.

In This Podcast Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice, speaks with Udit Mehta, Chief Digital Officer for Carrier - Fire and Security. In their conversation they discuss a wide range of transformation leadership topics: Defining “digital transformation” Influencing up and across Co-creating with customers The Chief Digital Officer's role Looking to the future Advice for transformation leaders …and more   About the “Leading in the Gap” Series Leading transformation is challenging work and for companies undergoing transformation, everyone is living in the gap – the gap that exists between the current state and the desired future state (i.e., where the organization aspires to be.) The responsibility of transformation leaders is to lead through this gap and bring people and organizations along the way. This brings special leadership challenges. In the “Leading in the Gap” series you will hear from transformation leaders working in various industries and explore their thoughts and experiences about the challenges of leading in the gap, what has worked for them, lessons learned along the way, and what they wish someone had told them to better prepare for the role of leading in the gap.   Podcast Speakers Host: Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice. Guest: Udit Mehta, Chief Digital Officer, Carrier - Fire and Security. As a digital business leader, Udit has worked in the Energy, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Automotive, and Financial Services sectors working in global organizations with revenues from $3B to $72B. In his role as a transformation leader, Udit has attracted, recruited, and mentored countless transformation teams and lead transformations that have accelerated business growth and captured market share in complex and competitive business climates.

In this Podcast Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice, speaks with Steve Schnall, Founder and CEO of Quontic, an adaptive digital bank. In their conversation they explore a wide range of transformation topics. Steve shares valuable insight and experience as a successful entrepreneur and accomplished leader transforming companies and industries: Transformation in banking The importance of the vision in transformation Hiring the right team to empower transformation Balancing transformation risks and rewards A key insight and takeaway - what he wishes he knew at the start of transformation …and much more   Podcast Speakers Host: Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice. Guest: Steve Schnall is the Founder and CEO of Quontic, an adaptive digital bank that empowers its customers financially while embracing their diverse circumstances. As a serial entrepreneur, Steve has a passion for business startups and serving the communities in which they reside. He has a proven track record of founding several successful private and public companies across a variety of industries, including Quontic, New York Mortgage Trust (a publicly traded mortgage REIT and national mortgage finance company), Fit Athletic Holdings (a California based luxury health and fitness chain), Realmor Capital (a NYC based real estate investment and development firm), and Restaurant.com (an early-stage dot-com). About the "Leading in the Gap" Series Leading transformation is challenging work and for companies undergoing transformation, everyone is living in the gap – the gap that exists between the current state and the desired future state (i.e., where the organization aspires to be.) The responsibility of transformation leaders is to lead through this gap and bring people and organizations along the way. This brings special leadership challenges. In the “Leading in the Gap” series you will hear from transformation leaders working in various industries and explore their thoughts and experiences about the challenges of leading in the gap, what has worked for them, lessons learned along the way, and what they wish someone had told them to better prepare for the role of leading in the gap.

In This Podcast Episode Listen as host Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice, speaks with Melissa Ehresman, Chief Digital Officer at USAA. In their conversation they discuss: How transformation leadership can differ from other leadership roles The “golden nuggets” to effective transformation leadership Key challenges faced in transformation How to keep people engaged in the transformation process Managing the pace of change ...and much more Podcast SpeakersHost: Angela Spencer, SVP for AndPlus' Digital Transformation practice Guest: Chief Digital Officer Melissa Ehresman has a distinguished career as a digital, IT and transformation leader at several Fortune 500 companies including Capital One, Genworth Financial, and USAA.For immediate access to additional digital transformation and product development resources visit our resource library now.   About the “Leading in the Gap” Series Leading transformation is challenging work and for companies undergoing transformation, everyone is living in the gap – the gap that exists between the current state and the desired future state (aka where the organization aspires to be.) The responsibility of transformation leaders is to lead through this gap and bring people and organizations along the way. This brings special leadership challenges. In the “Leading in the Gap” series you will hear transformation leaders working in various industries share their perspectives on the challenges of leading transformation, what works for them, lessons learned, and what they wish someone had told them to better prepare for the role of leading in the gap.

Digital transformation, by definition, involves the application of digital technologies and agile ways of working in order to create new business and customer value. While the opportunities and benefits for success are great, the challenges of successful digital transformation extend (quite far) beyond just technology. An effective approach to digital transformation must also regularly identify the bottlenecks and friction points throughout the organization that slow transformation progress.   In this podcast, Angela Spencer, SVP of AndPlus' transformation business practice, returns to address; what transformation 'friction' means, common red flags and indicators of friction, and  how friction can be addressed in order to accelerate transformation. All that and much more on this episode of the AndPlus Tech Podcast. Interested in learning more about digital transformation? Check out the AndPlus resource library by clicking here.

In this podcast, Brian Geary, AndPlus Director of Client Success,  breaks down brownfield vs. greenfield projects as it relates to software and digital transformation. Brian opens by explaining how the terms “greenfield project” and “brownfield project” are used in many industries: "greenfield" describes a completely new project that has to be built from from the concept to delivery, while a brownfield project is one that has been previously worked on or built by others and is now being handed off to someone else for completion or overhaul.   He also addresses: the factors that go into choosing whether to build upon an existing project, start from scratch, or rebuild from within; what goes into analyzing code and overall infrastructure before beginning a project; common  brownfield/greenfield project red flags; and and he provides insight regarding the pros and cons of scrapping legacy software.

Angela Spencer, Senior VP of  the Digital Transformation business practice at AndPlus, discusses the all too common frustration companies face with the gap between their transformation strategy and the execution of their transformation plans. More importantly, Angela discusses how companies can take steps to close this strategy-execution gap and  initiate an organizational culture that fosters transformation success. Some of the questions addressed in this podcast: What does it take to have a successful digital transformation? Is digital transformation about technology? How to achieve company-wide buy in for a digital transformation.   Check out the AndPlus guide to Digital Transformation: https://www.andplus.com/digital-transformation-guide    

In this podcast, Matthew Hull, User Experience Director for AndPlus, addresses important considerations about prototyping software solutions and the value of rapid prototyping to both startups with a great idea and mature organizations needing a new or upgraded software products. During this rapid prototyping podcast Matt discusses, who needs prototyping, the tools and processes around rapid prototyping, how best to work with a prototype development team, ...and much more.   Join Matt in the podcast and learn more about the role of rapid prototyping in creating great user experiences that dive organizational value.

Sean Mahoney and Brian Geary of AndPlus, LLC, a Digital Transformation firm based just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, discuss the steps companies can take to ensure that their software development project gets off to a quick and efficient start, while also laying the foundation to help ensure a successful project outcome.

User Experience vs Customer Experience - Battle of the Buzzwords.   What is User Experience and how does it differ from Customer Experience? Abdul Dremali and Matt Hull from AndPlus sit down to talk about design philosophy.

In this podcast, Matt Hull, Director of User Experience for AndPlus, talks about Design Thinking and its importance in the software product design process and its supporting role in the digital transformation framework. You can read more about accelerating digital transformation with design thinking in Matt's blog located here:  

We get it, everyone uses Agile development. Over the past few years, we've molded the framework to fit our agency. AndPlus uses this process for digital transformation projects across various industries such as Financial technology and Medical fields. From mobile apps to web dashboards, we use this meticulous process to build quality products. https://www.andplus.com/blog/reducing-technical-risk-with-andplus https://www.andplus.com/blog/why-owning-your-code-is-important-when-outsourcing-development

One of the greatest time-wasters in traditional software development is managing multiple environments and making sure they are sufficiently alike so that the software works identically on all of them. It's all too easy for these environments to get out of sync, or for developers to lose track of all the system requirements needed to make their software work. Until recently, it was all managed manually, which meant that clients were billed for work that added no value to the final product. That's bad for developer productivity, bad for timeline adherence, and bad for business. The AndPlus Innovation Lab team has been exploring Kubernetes as an alternative to Docker. Tom Golden and Abdul Dremali sit down to talk about what containers are, why they matter and the direction these technologies are moving. https://www.andplus.com/blog/docker-kubernetes-and-the-world-of-containers https://www.andplus.com/projects/kubernetes