Page 47 - FCW, May 2021

WT Executive Perspectives
The challenges and
opportunities of digital
transformation
A Washington Technology roundtable of leading executives offers insights on what digital transformation means for government contractors
BY NICK WAKEMAN
The government’s push to undertake digital transforma- tion creates myriad oppor- tunities for contractors, but although the trend is on the upswing, there are still obsta- cles that companies need to consider.
Washington Technology recently convened a round- table of leading executives to share their insights on what the opportunity means for the government contracting com- munity and how they are posi- tioning their companies and working with customers to take advantage of the benefits digi- tal transformation can deliver.
Although the discussion
was on the record, we oper- ated under the Chatham House Rule that executives’ comments would not be attributed to them or their companies. See page 46 for the list of participants.
Defining transformation
through the customer’s eyes
Before discussing digital transfor- mation, it’s important to understand what it means. During the roundta- ble discussion, it became clear that the definition often depends on cus- tomers and what they are trying to accomplish.
“You are taking these digital tech- nologies and putting them against agency problems,” one executive said. “It is very much about the outcome and about improving the outcome or transforming the outcome.”
Technologies associated with trans- formation include artificial intelli- gence, machine learning, robotic process automation, cloud comput- ing, data management and analytics, edge computing, digital twins (virtual replicas of physical devices), sensors and the internet of things. On the hori- zon are other emerging technologies such as 5G.
A digital transformation initiative doesn’t necessarily include all those technologies, but it typically brings together multiple tools to create solu- tions. However, one common thread is data. New technologies have gener- ated massive amounts of data in the
past decade, and the challenge now is harnessing and deriving insights from it.
“The technology landscape is so dif- ferent, and now there is this preva- lence of data and the ability to mine the data and draw value,” one partici- pant said.
The group agreed that data enables agencies and their contractor partners to reimagine what’s possible. For example, one executive said the Army Futures Command is rethinking the design of combat vehicles by build- ing models to gain an understanding of how vehicles would perform under a variety of operational scenarios and weather conditions.
“Having that information and get- ting real-time [insight] drive better decision-making,” the executive said.
A new way of thinking about problems and outcomes
Although the technologies that enable
digital transformation are critical, executives said there are also com- plex people and culture issues that must be considered.
“The technology exists, so it really isn’t about that,” one participant said. “It’s about applying it and making sure
May 2021 FCW.COM 45