James and I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Alan Chai, Head of Digital Transformation & Innovation at Schlumberger. Alan’s unique perspective on the future of work, the importance of user experience in enterprise software, and his work in amplifying the maker community at Schlumberger were all engaging; what I found particularly awesome to talk about was next-generation stuff.

But not next-gen tech: next-gen people! Alan’s daughter (and I have to confess, my own as well) continue to show us guiding lights to the new ways that things will be done in the world to come. If our daughters are any indication, the future is in good hands.

🎧 Give it a listen here.

Key Takeaways

• Process mapping, often seen as boring, is crucial for ensuring the success of digital enablement. Investing time in understanding and documenting processes is essential for generating business value.
• Alan’s efforts have resulted in thousands of makers at Schlumberger who can build apps, dashboards, automations, and chatbots.
• Gamification has been a popular approach to solving business problems within this community. Probably the younger generation joining the workforce!

Money Quotes

Alan

The world has changed. Today, you’re not the only person who can make an app in the enterprise. If your app is not friendly to be used…you lose.

That’s why I say I’m not the only one in a company who can make apps. There will be multiple people who can climb that very quickly and get that kind of skill set, and they could be building a better solution. If I don’t make a good one, somebody will say, “Hey, I can do better!”

Simplicity. Not just on the user experience, but also more importantly, back to digital transformation. It’s the process.