Process Re-Engineering Is a Key Skill in the Age of AI

I recently had a conversation with Jason Cottrell that will release on the Oh Shift! podcast soon, and he was speaking about an employee progression metric (adapted and derived from Zapier) where the last stage is "Transformative". At Orium this means that AI is not just saving time in an existing process, but that processes have been totally rethought between departments with AI in mind. Sounds simple right? No.

What does "Transformative" mean in the context of AI adoption?

In general I would say that process re-engineering is one of the most difficult forms of leadership, period. For most people, the answer is always: see tool, buy tool. Hope for the best. But if the tool fails, find better tool is usually the answer rather than figure out what went wrong.

Why is effective process re-engineering so difficult for most companies?

Sometimes the problem is that people aren't communicating with each other. Sometimes people don't want to rethink what they've been doing. And that's exactly why some kind of employee measurement framework is required. Even essential. It sets a challenge. What's the challenge to employees then? Simple. Business as usual is not acceptable. Processes need to be looked at from first principles with fresh eyes, with a keen eye toward customer outcomes.

What is the key to winning in the age of AI?

And look, a lot of people aren't willing to go there. Perhaps that's why you see some of the studies you do now. But suffice to say, companies that do look at critical revenue processes will be the winners in this era. Not just companies who encourage employees to "try AI first". How do you measure what's working? What are your value metrics? To do that, you need to look deeper than the surface vanity demo.


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Rick Watson

Rick Watson founded RMW Commerce Consulting after spending 20+ years as a technology entrepreneur and operator exclusively in the eCommerce industry with companies like ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, Merchantry, and Pitney Bowes.

Watson’s work today is centered on supporting investors and management teams incubating and growing direct-to-consumer businesses. Most recently, in partnership with WHP Global, Rick was a critical resource in architecting the WHP+ platform, a new turnkey direct to consumer digital e-commerce platform that powers AnneKlein.com and JosephAbboud.com.

Watson also hosts a weekly podcast, Watson Weekly, where he shares an unbiased, unfiltered expert take on the retail sector’s biggest players.

In the past year alone, Rick has spoken at many in-person and virtual events as well as podcasts on topics ranging from retail/ecom to supply chain/logistics and even digital grocery including CommerceNext IRL, ASCM Connect, and Retail Innovation Conference.

https://www.rmwcommerce.com/
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