Digital or Dead, is your technology road map written?

Recently, Gartner produced it's Hype Cycle for Digital SC's, highlighting the major technology adoptions predicted for the next few years, many have been here for some time, but only just becoming widely adopted, like "Big Data, Supply Chain Visibility, BPaaS, COE, IoT, and Collaborative Smart Supply Chains", you can check out the Hype graph below.

Gartner Hype Cycles provide a graphic representation of the maturity and adoption level of upcoming technologies and applications. The cycle consists of five stages:

1. Innovation trigger: A potential technology breakthrough triggers early proof-of-concept stories and media interest. Often no usable products exist and commercial viability is unproven.

2. Peak of Inflated Expectations: The early publicity generates a number of success stories—which are often accompanied by scores of less-well-known failures. Some companies take action; many do not.

3. Trough of Disillusionment: Interest in the technology wanes as experiments and implementations fail to deliver. Producers of the technology either merge or fail. Investments continue only if the surviving providers improve their products to the satisfaction of early adopters.

4. Slope of Enlightenment: More instances of how the technology can benefit the enterprise start to crystallize and become more widely understood. Second- and third-generation products appear from technology providers. More enterprises fund pilots, but conservative companies remain cautious.

5. Plateau of Productivity: Mainstream adoption starts to take off. Criteria for assessing provider viability are more clearly defined. The technology's broad market applicability and relevance are now well known.

I am sure there will be many people to suggest or highlight what they feel are inaccuracies with this Hype Cycle, and whilst I may agree with some, I think the notion that we are well and truly in the phase of change is valid. I believe that if you operate a global Supply Chain, you should have at least 50% of the expectations on your road map.

The next 2-5 years will be very interesting, how many will succumb to "Dead" in failure to reach "Digital"?

To read the Gartner Press release in full please click - HERE.