The Technical Debt Problem: What to Do When You've Fallen Behind

Organizations are navigating headwinds from all directions, and in this environment, many are falling behind when it comes to keeping up with the latest technology. When the issue is ignored or mismanaged, and the price to modernize systems becomes insurmountable, enterprises risk being crushed under “technical debt.”

Gartner VP Analyst Roger Williams, who researches the future of infrastructure and operations, stresses the importance of continuous management over attempting to "spend your way out" of technical debt. He explains that organizations cannot eliminate their debt entirely through retroactive modernization projects. Instead they should work to understand and address the impacts of technical debt on stakeholders to effectively manage it as an ongoing concern rather than a one-time project.

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See More in Gartner Peer Community:  Is Technical Debt Necessary for On-Time Deployment?

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Read More: Set Up Now for AI to Augment Software Development

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As supply chains return to normal following the COVID shortages of the past few years, chief supply chain officers find themselves at an inflection point: balancing efficiency with output.

Ken Chadwick, VP Analyst on the Gartner supply chain organizational development team and author of this year’s Future of Supply Chain report, explains how supply chain productivity creates value for enterprises as a whole. But to do so, supply chain leaders also must incorporate sustainability, technology, AI and the human role into their strategy.

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Download Now: 4 Keys to Creating a Competitive Advantage in Supply Chain

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Learn More: See the Latest Supply Chain Insights and Trends

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How far does your enterprise want to go with artificial intelligence? Deciding this is what Gartner calls an “AI ambition” — and that's the starting point for spotting AI opportunities and executing on your plans.

To help navigate the opportunities and limitations, Hung LeHong, a Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst whose work focuses on how C-level executives can anticipate changes to business models and customer trends caused by digital business, outlines why defining your AI ambition is the first step to setting up a roadmap for implementation. He also discusses the differences between “everyday AI” and “game-changing AI,” and how leaders can use the Gartner AI Opportunity Radar to decide which ambitious path is right for their organization.

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Download Guide: Use the AI Opportunity Radar to Define AI Ambition and Get Your Enterprise AI Ready

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Download Workbook: Build an AI Strategy: From Setting AI Vision to Executing Value-Driving AI Initiatives

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Read More: Executive Resources: What Generative AI Means for Business

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One-quarter of executives are in the process of transitioning into a new role at any given time, and 40% say they are likely to move again within two years. If you are a seasoned executive who hasn’t signed up for a fresh opportunity, whether at your current organization or another, you likely will soon. The problem? Executive transitions are very challenging. Today’s economic uncertainty and heightened employee and public expectations make it hard to establish credibility quickly and deliver tangible impact. Plus, the ripple effect of a poor executive transition creates significant risk and expense for both the executive and their organization.

In this episode, Blakeley Hartfelder, Senior Director, Research at Gartner, discusses the reality, challenges and pitfalls of being a new executive, along with tips for establishing a successful transition plan and personal brand. She emphasizes the importance of defining and regularly updating success criteria, adopting a human-centric leadership approach and how the entire C-suite can (and should) support a successful transition. 

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Download Toolkit: Get a Fast Start in Your New Executive Role

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Read More: 4 Ways to Ensure a New Executive Benefits Your Organization, Immediately

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Read More: 4 Secrets to Success for Executives Starting a New Role

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Over the past four years, business leaders have had to navigate working from home and returning to the office (several times over), and now, the need for a nimble, resilient workforce. Gartner’s annual future of work trends report provides key insights and actionable strategies to navigate workplace dynamics, which this year run the gamut from managing the impact of AI to employee conflict resolution to the four-day workweek.

In this episode, Emily Rose McRae, a Senior Director Analyst in the HR practice at Gartner, outlines 2024’s nine future of work trends, the themes that have emerged, and how executives and people leaders can develop strategies to better manage their workforce.

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Read More: 9 Future of Work Trends for 2024

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Download Toolkit: Next Steps With Gartner’s 2024 Future of Work Trends

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In 2023, ThinkCast has covered mission-critical business topics from supply chain disruptions to hybrid work to strategic planning. But one topic has dominated the conversation: generative AI.

For our best-of-the-year special, we’ve focused on three insightful angles you can use to explore generative AI. First, Gartner VP Analyst Svetlana Sicular goes over the basics of GenAI. Then, Afraz Jaffri, Director Analyst and the editor of this year’s AI Hype Cycle, explains why GenAI falls in the peak of inflated expectations. Finally, Tony Sheehan, a VP Analyst focused on education, talks about how teachers, students and educational institutions should approach AI to manage risks and open up new ways of learning.

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Learn More: What Generative AI Means for Business

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Download Now: Your AI Strategy Planner

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As the end of a transformative year approaches, enterprises are under pressure to determine their approach to generative AI and other technology trends. In this episode, which first aired as part of the Gartner original video series, Top of Mind, Global Chief of Research Chris Howard discusses three broad themes that emerged in the Gartner Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2024. Then he outlines how businesses can move beyond experimentation with what AI could be used for, to a comprehensive implementation plan that ultimately creates enterprise value.

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Watch Now: More Episodes of Top of Mind With Chris Howard

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Download Now: Your Detailed Guide to the 2024 Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends

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From remote and hybrid work to quiet quitting and recession fears, the state of employee engagement has been in flux since the pandemic began. Now, HR and team leaders need a new approach to make employees feel connected to their organizations.

In this keynote, originally delivered at Gartner ReimagineHR Conference, GVP Ania Krasniewska Shahidi, and Brent Cassell, VP, Advisory, demonstrate how and why stability, trust and innovation are the cornerstones of a new HR strategy. With 82% of HR leaders facing pressure to scale back or reverse the progress they have made over the past few years, this new framework can help put the focus on what employees and enterprises need to enter their next phase of growth.

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Watch Now: Staying Bold: How HR Can Unlock Human Performance in Any Context

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Explore the Conference: Gartner Reimagine HR Conference 2024

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While many aspects of enterprises have undergone digital transformation in recent years, corporate strategy remains painstakingly analog. In this episode, we delve into the ways strategy leaders can use digital to inform and execute their planning processes.

David Akers, a research director in Gartner’s strategy research group, explains how executives can incorporate digital elements, such as big data, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, into corporate strategy formulation, strategic planning and strategy execution to generate proprietary insights, improve decision making and effectively prioritize the organization’s time and resources. 

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Download Now: Your Essential Guide to Strategic Planning

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Listen Now: Adapt Your Business Strategy in the Face of Disruption

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As customer expectations and business models evolve alongside AI, the 2024 Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends will help you cut through the noise and focus on what can meaningfully impact your business over the next few years.

Each trend relates to one or more key themes for business: protecting and preserving past and future investments, building the right solutions for the right stakeholders at the right time, and delivering value both internally and externally.

In this keynote, originally delivered at Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo™, Global Chief of Research and Distinguished VP Analyst Chris Howard reveals the trends, why they were selected and how business leaders can act upon them going forward.

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Download Now: Your Detailed Guide to the 2024 Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends

https://gtnr.it/46N2VBV

Explore the 2024 Conference: Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo™

https://gtnr.it/3tUZNFS