Reimagining Technology Consulting for the Era of AI

September 19, 2023Brian Sturgeon

In an age where generative AI is rapidly redefining the way in which teams achieve outcomes, how do you know if your organization is keeping up with the pace of innovation or falling behind the competition? Conventional benchmarks are becoming increasingly irrelevant against the backdrop of today’s dynamic technology landscape. That's why we’re reimagining tech consulting and introducing the concept of Innovation Velocity—an essential measure of the pace of innovation within your organization, designed for the era of AI. In this post, we’ll delve deeper into the definition of Innovation Velocity, explore the multi-faceted impact of AI, and reveal how our digital studio model empowers our clients to become digital leaders.

Innovation Velocity: The Metric You Can’t Afford to Ignore

So, what exactly is “Innovation Velocity?” Let’s break it down. At its core, Innovation Velocity represents the pace at which innovation occurs within an organization. We measure this as an index based on Volume, Cycle Time, and Quality of Work completed across sets of technology-powered business initiatives. Why does it matter? Because as generative AI continues to empower teams to deliver outcomes in unprecedented ways, business leaders need the ability to know that their technology investments aren’t funding initiatives done “the old way”. Innovation Velocity offers transparency, predictability, and control, so you have a complete picture of incremental value delivered when you partner with us – something more comprehensive than the typical units of work burned at an hourly rate.

How We Accelerate Innovation Velocity

The true value of Innovation Velocity isn't in its measurement but in its continuous improvement. Our delivery teams are dedicated to gradually accelerating this index for our clients. Here’s how we do it:

Rapid Mobilization: Because of Lantern’s “goldilocks” size, we have the ability to initiate projects swiftly for our clients. Our Agile model eliminates lengthy ramp-up times, enabling us to dive right in and begin chipping away at the business problem.
Collaborative Backlog Buildout: Rather than working in a silo, we involve our clients in the process of sizing work and creating a comprehensive backlog. This exercise aligns everyone’s expectations and sets the stage for prioritization.
Prioritization & Sequencing: Once a backlog has been established, we collectively decide on the priorities and sequence of execution based on business value. This allows for efficient allocation of resources and ensures that high-impact tasks are tackled first.
Decomposition: We break large scale initiatives down into smaller, more manageable tasks that can be progressed across regular iterations. This decomposition allows us to later achieve steady throughput throughout the project.
Burn-In Period: Before we baseline our metrics, we mutually agree on a burn-in period to stabilize throughput and predictability. In this phase, we begin tracking key metrics such as Volume, Cycle Time, and Quality. The data is erratic at first, often with many outliers, but eventually levels out and becomes the foundation for continuous improvement.
Stabilization & Baseline Establishment: After the burn-in period, we lock-in a performance baseline in agreement with our clients. This acts as the standard from which we gradually improve over time.
Measurement & Improvement: Unlike typical hourly contracts where output remains static, our model is predicated on continuous improvement. As each sprint progresses, our tight-knit teams push to drive efficiencies so they can deliver more than they did in the previous period for your organization.
Flexibility in Engagement: A standout feature of our model is adaptability. Throughout the engagement, we collaboratively gauge whether to amplify or temper our efforts. This 'dial-up or dial-down' mechanism ensures that clients have a predictable monthly cost and are in control of the rate at which outcomes are achieved.

Harnessing the Power of AI

A pivotal shift is unfolding in the world of technology consulting, and at the heart of this change is the revolutionary potential of generative AI. As I reflect on my experience leading digital transformation programs over the last decade, I am reminded of the lengthy assessment phases, meticulous analyses, and time-consuming planning efforts that would bog down engagements. Such extensive groundwork was necessary, but often delayed meaningful progress, leaving tangible outcomes on the horizon. By leveraging technologies like Microsoft Copilot and the Azure OpenAI Service, we can now:

Dramatically accelerate phases that once took weeks or even months
Generate detailed deliverables and rich analyses with much less effort
Create complex optionality at key project decision points
Architect solutions based on client requirements more responsively
Optimize delivery engagement costs
And much more…

This is a game-changer for the consulting industry, which is why we’re committed to responsibly leveraging AI as part of our standard delivery model at Lantern.

The Digital Studio Network: Where Flexibility Meets Scalability

At the heart of our model lies the Digital Studio Network, an element of our modular delivery architecture designed to offer a high degree of flexibility to our clients. Think of this network as a string of pearls, where each pearl is a studio that boasts its own unique characteristics and capabilities. Whether it's a small-scale engagement or a major initiative, our studios can be collectively orchestrated and scale up or down to meet business challenges of any size.

What is a Digital Studio?

I’m so glad you asked. A Digital Studio at Lantern is more than just a physical space; it's a node within our greater network, functioning as a creative ecosystem. Inside these studios, we feature:

Expert Technical Capabilities & Specialties: Our specialized Microsoft platform experts are organized in squads or practices, ready to tackle complex challenges.
Business-focused Technologists: Our teams create technology solutions oriented around your business needs.
Multimodal Workstyles: We embrace a range of innovative working methods to cut through the incoherence of the traditional hybrid approach.
Immersive Physical Office Locations: Our design philosophy centers on spaces that invoke inspiration and inspire creativity so our teams can transcend the ordinary in the work they do.
Proven Accelerators: We employ proprietary tools and techniques for rapid, consistent delivery.
Vibrant Subcultures: Each studio is a melting pot of ideas and talents that drive our collective success.

A Modular Approach to Versatility

What sets the Digital Studio Network apart is its ability to offer unparalleled flexibility and adaptability. With studios spanning North America and covering four different time zones, our geographic reach allows us to align seamlessly with our clients' operational rhythms. Whether you're in the strategy phase, the build phase, or simply looking to optimize operations, our network provides the freedom to engage at any point in your journey to digital leadership.

In Conclusion

The convergence of Innovation Velocity, AI-infused methodologies, and our studio delivery approach empowers us to provide highly tailored solutions that meet the needs of our clients’ most aspirational business challenges. We invite you to embrace this new era of technology consulting with us, where innovation, flexibility, and client-centricity are at the forefront. If you’re ready to push the pace of innovation and achieve digital leadership, we’re ready to light the way.

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