Andrew McAfee to be a key note speaker at DIG 2008

Palladium and the DIG conference team is excited to announce that Andrew McAfee will be a key note speaker at DIG 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Andrew will kick-off our Enterprise 2.0 theme on day 2 and set the stage on how the concepts associated with Web 2.0 are starting to be integrated into the operations of a business.

Andrew is a faculty member at Harvard Business School in the Technology and Operations Management Unit. One of Andrew's research focus areas is on how Web 2.0 technologies can be leveraged inside an enterprise. Andrew has spoken at numerous industry events on a broad range of the IT topic areas. One of the more interesting events was a debate that Andrew had with Tom Davenport on the impact of Web 2.0 technologies inside a business.

Andrew was the first faculty blogger at Harvard Business School and we hope to engage with Andrew in the blogosphere between now and the conference.



Welcome to DIG Andrew!

The 2008 Fast50 Has Arrived

Ever wonder what it takes to be truly innovative? Well, every year I enjoy skimming through Fast Company's annual picks for the world's most innovative companies. These are companies that make things happen. These are companies that constantly push the envelope with a mind for being the best in their respective niches.

This year (Fast Company - March 2008 issue), Google tops the list and the FC article goes on to highlight 10 or so of the key roles in the company that make it No. 1 for 2008. And, indeed, Google has made an indelible mark on our current generation and leaves me asking "What makes Google hot and others not?"

Well, who makes the list is a question for Fast Company - but I personally believe that innovation is an eye for constantly innovating the future and the guts to stay true to a culture that supports disciplined creativity. An oxymoron possibly but innovation is intentional and by no means an accident.

This blog is new - but it is going to be intentional. And it is going to be about innovation. The type of innovation that drives business design and continual strategy execution.

Talk DIG is going to be about information and how information is being harnessed to drive "fast" companies toward business success. This blog is for potential DIG 2008 attendees and anyone else who uses and/or needs information to do their job. In this blog, we will explore data, analytics, and E2.o tools for insight sharing. I am going to focus on the Enterprise 2.o concepts and tools.

Stay tuned and jump into the dialog as you desire. I hope that I will be a stimulating and amusing facilitator if not an able guide through the topic at hand.

Are you ready to DIG in?

Welcome to the Decisions, Information and Governance 2008 Conference blog, or as we like to call it....DIG. The purpose of the DIG conference is to discuss the key management competencies to make better decisions; how to organize data into information; and develop a management rhythm to ensure the entire organization is in lock-step.

For DIG 2008 we have developed a conference agenda along 3 core themes, with a heavy emphasis on Enterprise 2.0.

Creating One Version of the Truth : The goal for any corporation is constructing an information platform for the 21st century. To be successful, it is critical that the organization start by establishing a common business taxonomy that describes the organization in consistent terms. This includes a commitment to define, secure and improve the integrity of information assets, both internal and external to the organization. It also requires a commitment to define common terms and formulas for measuring performance and a willingness to resolve semantic data inconsistencies throughout. Once a common language has been agreed upon, it is critical that the enterprise data architecture is put in place that represents the business taxonomy and simplifies data access.

Insights from Advanced Analytics : Once an organization has consistent data, it is critical that insights can be made to drive decisions. Decision-making is becoming a key management competency driven by globalization, complexity and risk. Drawing insights through performance models that leverage leading business indicators can quickly uncover operational opportunities and issues in real time. Understanding the drivers and levers that can be controlled allows a nimble organization to react to changing market conditions and to constantly meet expectations. By combining consistent data with advanced analytics, organizations can achieve breakthrough enterprise performance management.

Enterprise 2.0 : To build a culture of decision-making, organizations must look beyond a small group of information workers and leverage the collective intelligence of the entire organization. Leveraging the social networks that exist inside of your organization can create new insights that are more accurate and meaningful. Emerging collaborative platforms that support blogs, wikis, tagging, mashups and predictive markets improve decision-making when extended to the enterprise and beyond, including customers and partners. Each platform provides improved knowledge sharing that drives management, problem solving, and, ultimately, continuous innovation.

What makes DIG unique is our focus on practical application of each of these themes within an organization. In addition, we will focus on a blend of case study presentations with facilitated panel discussions with the attendees. The goal is to step beyond the one-sided lectures and spark open and honest dialog between you and our presenters.

If you have an interest in rolling up your sleeves and immersing yourself in DIG, we will also provide a set of pre-conference clinics covering the 3 DIG themes. Check out the DIG conference website for details on the pre-conference clinics.

In addition to a compelling conference agenda, DIG will take place at the Green Valley Ranch Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Check out the GVR website for accommodation and reservation details.

That's it! There will be more to come here on the talkDIG blog as we approach the event. The DIG conference team will be actively blogging on the site from now until the event. Our goal is to engage with YOU on the topics of DIG...before, during and after the event! So stop reading, dive in and DIG.
Pete Graham, DIG Conference Chair